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i 


AFRICAN    rOEEST. 


MY  APINGI  KINGDOM: 

WITH  LIFE  IN  THE 

GREAT    SAHARA, 

AND  SKETCHES  OP 

THE  CHASE  OF  THE  OSTRICH,  HYENA,  &c. 


By  PAUL  DU  CHAILLU, 

ACTHOE   or 

"DISCOVERIES   IN   EQUATORIAL    AFRICA,"   "STORIES    OF   THE   GORILLA   COUNTRY 
"ASHANGO  LAND,"    "WILD  LIFE   UNDER  THE  EQUATOR,"   4c. 


NUMEROUS   ENGRA  VINGS. 


N  E  ^V    YORK: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 


1876. 


By  PAUL  DU  CHAILLU. 


THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS.     Illustrated.     i2mo,  Cloth, 

$1  75- 
MY  APINGI  KINGDOM.     Illustrated.     i2mo,  Cloth,  $i  75. 
LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE.     Illustrated.     i2mo.  Cloth,  $1  75. 
WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR.     Illustrated.     i2mo,  Cloth, 

|i  75- 
STORIES   OF  THE   GORILLA   COUNTRY.     Illustrated.      i2mo. 

Cloth,  $1  75. 

EXPLORATIONS     AND     ADVENTURES     IN     EQUATORIAL 
AFRICA.     Illustrated.     New  Edition.     8vo,  Cloth,  $$  00, 

A  JOURNEY  TO  ASHANGO  LAND,  and  Further  Penetration  into 
Equatorial  Africa.     New  Edition.     Illustrated.     8vo,  Cloth,  $$  00. 


Published  by  HARPER  &-  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

Sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to  any  part  of  the  United  States,  on  receipt  of 

the  price. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870,  by 

Harper  &  Brothers, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
To  my  Young  Friends Page  11 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  Council.— Shall  we  build  a  hundred  Canoes. — The  Great  Falls  of 
Samba-Nagoshi. — Fougamou,  the  forger  of  Iron. — People  can  not 
see  him  work  Iron;  if  they  do,  they  die 12 

CHAPTER  III. 

Preparations  for  Hunting. — People  ordered  to  get  ready. — The  Idol  is 
put  in  the  Street. — ^Dance  with  Torchlights. — The  Idol  says  we  will 
kill  Game.— The  People  believe  it 19 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Porcupine  Hunting. — They  come  out  of  their  Burrows. — Fierce  attack 
of  the  Dogs.— Porcupine  Traps. — The  Legend  of  the  Porcupine  and 
of  the  Leopard 25 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Spirit,  our  King. — Great  number  of  Plantain-trees. — Curious 
Fence  for  Game. — We  march  silently. — We  surround  ourselves  with 
Fires. — The  strange  Legend  of  Arondo-Ie'nou 31 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Difficult  hunting  Path. — The  Men  scatter. — Remandji  and  myself  re- 
main together. — Fear  of  Elephants. — Capture  of  Game. — Snakes 
are  killed 36 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Departure  to  Visit  my  Dominions. — Preceded  by  one  hundred  Horn- 
men. — Followed  by  my  Housekeeper. — War  must  not  take  place. — 
I  get  in  a  furious  Rage. — Happy  Denouement 44 


y^  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

A  hunt  in  Canoes.— An  Antelope  pursued.— I  am  nearly  capsized.— 
Killing  of  the  Antelope.— Return  to  the  Village Page     59 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Beautiful  sight  of  Palm-trees.— How  Palm-oil  is  manufactured.— Its 
Value. — India-rubber  Vines. — A  Leopard. — He  is  tracked. — Ter- 
rible Suspense. — The  Leopard  is  killed 62 

CHAPTER  X. 

Manufacture  of  Pottery. — Numerous  Cooks.— Plantain  Plantations..     72 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Kendo. — Its  small  Size. — I  kill  one. — Astonishment  of  the  Na- 
tives      77 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A  herd  of  Monkeys. — How  they  travel  in  the  Forest. — White-nosed 
Monkeys. — Their  great  Leaps. — How  they  keep  Food  when  not 
hungry 80 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Elephant  Hunting. — Take  Refuge  on  a  Tree. — Fire  twice  at  the  Ele- 
phant.— How  he  kicked! — An  immense  Python. — He  kills  one  of 
our  Dogs. — Okabi  kills  the  Snake 86 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Serious  Thoughts. — Shall  I  remain  to  be  their  King  ? — Will  the  Apin- 
gi  Fight? — I  must  raise  a  Revetme. — Products  of  the  Country 92 

CHAPTER  XV. 

I  discover  a  Galago's  Lair. — Capture  of  the  Galago. — Two  baby 
Galagos 97 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Jack,  the  Monkey. — Hunting  Monkeys  with  Dogs.— Great  Fight  be- 
tween two  Dogs  and  a  Nkago. — Capture  of  a  young  Nkago. — I 
give  him  the  name  of  Jack 104 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  wonderful  White  Ants. — Their  depredations. — Their  curious 
Buildings. — T  destroy  them. — The  Soldiers  and  the  Workers. — 
How  thev  take  care  of  the  Wounded  and  Young 115 


CONTENTS.  Vii 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

More  about  White  Ants.— Two  Species.— Terrible  Fight  between 
them.— The  Workers  and  the  Soldiers.— The  Queen.— bhe  is  sur- 
rounded by  Soldiers.— Other  Species  of  Ants Page  128 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Leave  the  Apingi  Country. — Go  into  the  Interior.— I  am  Lost.— I 
raise  the  American  Flag  on  a  big  Tree. — Leave  it  flying. — Starva- 
tion and  Suffering. — Return  to  Kemandji l-t3 

CHAPTER  XX. 
I  must  leave  my  Kingdom.— Assembling  of  the  People. — They  come 
to  say  Good-by.— I  make  a  Speech.— Remandji's  Reply.— A  Xi&z.xy 
Present.— Presents  to  Remandji.— They  are  sorry  I  must  go  away .   150 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Good-by  to  Remandji.— I  cross  the  River.— The  Ashiras  fear  the 
Bakalais.— A  Eakalai  Village.— Crossing  the  Louvendji.— I  meet 
Queugueza. — Arrival  at  Washington 159 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Island  of  Madeira.— Sailing  for  Senegal.— A  huge  Shoal  of  Por- 
poises.—They  Swim  so  fast.— Harpooning  Porpoises.— Rejoicing 
on  board. — How  Porpoise  Meat  tastes 169 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Approaching  the  Senegal.— Sailors'  Yarns.— Dangerous  Navigation. 
—Shipwrecks  of  Vessels.— Terrible  Suflfering  of  the  Crew  of  the 
Margaret.— Our  Fears. — Taking  Soundings 177 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
At  the  :\routh  of  the  great  Senegal  River.— Appearance  of  the  Coun- 
try.—A  Village.— The    Houses.— A   sandy  Country.— How   the 
People  carry  Milk 1^^ 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Senegal  River.— The  Jaloffs.— The  Fehlahs.— The  Fulahs.— 
The  Mandingoes.— Habits  of  these  Tribes.— The  Moors.— Desert 
Winds.— Receptions  in  Jars.— "How  nice  it  is!" 190 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Waiting  for  a  Start.— Three  young  Lions.— I  play  with  tlicm.— How 
they  were  captured.— Terrible  Combat  with  the  Lion  and  the  Lion- 
ess.—Thev  are  both  killed ^^^ 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Departure. — A  Caravan. — Appearance  of  the  People. — Riding  a 
Camel. — I  am  Camel-sick. — Wells  iu  the  Sand Page  202 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Part  with  the  Caravan. — A  new  Camp. — Discover  Ostrich  Tracks. — 
An  Ostrich's  Nest. — An  Omelette. — Chasing  Ostriches  on  Horse- 
back.— I  am  unsuccessful. — Large  number  of  Sea-shells  in  the 
Desert 212 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A  Sand-storm  Predicted, — The  Wind  from  the  Northeast. — The 
Storm. — After  Ostriches. — Two  are  Killed. — Return  to  Camp. — 
Roast  Ostrich  for  Supper.  — Return  to  the  Settlement 218 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  Pleasant  Voyage. — In  Sight  of  the  Cameroons.- — The  Island  of 
Fernando  Po. — Sharks.— The  Pilot-fish.— What  they  do. — Hook- 
ing of  a  Big  Shark. — Its  Struggles. — Its  Death 224 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Boobees. — Camp  by  the  Sea. — We  Spy  a  Canoe. — Fugitives 
from  Slavery.— The  Story  of  their  Captivity.— Their  Flight 233 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Departure  from  Fernando  Po. — The  Gull. — Her  Crew. — A  Tornado. 
— Starvation. — Cape  of  St.  John. — Corisco. — Good-by 244 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FASB 


African  Fokest Frontispiece. 

We  are  in  Council ^3 

Dancing  before  the  Idol r, 23 

Porcupine  Hunt ^^ 

Apingi  Game  Fence ^^ 

The  Blowing  of  Kambi  Horns 45 

Making  Palm-oil 64 

Lair  of  the  Leopard - 71 

African  Pottery - 73 

The  Sciurus  Minutus,  or  Kendo  « 78 

Monkeys  journeying  in  the  Forest 83 

The  Galago 102 

Jack  plating  Tricks 112 

Mushroom-hived  Termes  and  Tree  Termites 120 

In  the  Cells — Queen,  Soldiers,  and  Workers 123 

Battle  of  the  White  Ants 131 

Building  of  Forest  Ants - 13i> 

Building  of  the  Termes  Bellicosus 142 

Paul  mending  Shoes , 148 

The  Spirit  taking  Leave 153 

An  Apingi  Village 157 

My  Settlement  at  Washington 165 

Harpooning  Porpoises 175 

Heaving  the  Lead 184 

Village  on  the  Lower  Senegal 186 

Strange  Reception 196 

Playing  with  young  Lions 200 

A  Caravan  of  Moors 20G 

An  Ostrich  Hunt 216 

Sand-storm  in  the  Desert 219 

After  Ostriches 222 

Capture  of  a  Shark 230 

Departure  from  Fernando  Po 245 

A2 


m^  Si^^^tB^  [sa!i!i®[i)®[ffl< 


CHAPTEE  I. 


TO   ilY   YOUNG    FEIENDS. 

Dear  Young  Folks, — Here  I  am  again  with  another 
book.  I  like  to  write  for  you,  because  you  seem  to  en- 
joy ray  books,  and  so  eagerly  read  all  that  I  have  to  say 
to  you. 

In  Lost  in  the  Jungle  I  left  you  in  Apingi  Land,  a 
country  situated  near  the  equator,  and  south  of  it.  There 
the  people  were  strange  and  superstitious.  They  wei-e 
surrounded  by  immense  forests,  high  mountains,  and  a 
large  river  flowed  through  their  country.  You  will  re- 
member that  at  last  they  made  me  their  king,  and,  as 
you  know,  it  was  in  my  kingdom  that  I  left  you,  prom- 
ising to  come  back  to  you  in  another  year. 

I  keep  my  promise,  and  I  am  now  going  to  tell  you 
more  about  that  Apingi  Land,  and  what  I  did  there,  and 
afterwards  I  will  take  you  to  the  great  Desert,  and  we 
will  have  a  cruise  together  along  the  western  coast  of 
Africa. 


^M^^^^^^CK 

^^^ 

^^® 

^^^^^^^H 

s^^^^^s 

^^^ 

kSS2jg^*^^-*s^  fK«A.«^ 

rziBii^ 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  COUNCIL. — SHALL  WE  BUILD  A  HUNDEED  CANOEB. — THE 
GREAT  FALLS  OF  SAMBA-NAGOSHI. FOUGAMOU,  THE  FOR- 
GER OF  IRON. — PEOPLE  CAN  NOT  SEE  HIM  WORK  IRON  ;  IF 
THEY    DO,  THEY   DIE. 

After  tli-.^  scenes  I  have  described  to  you  in  the  pre- 
ceding vohimes,  and  by  which  you  saw  with  what  degree 
of  superstition  the  people  looked  upon  me,  I  need  not 
tell  you  that  I  was  the  most  powerful  man  in  the  coun- 
try. The  superstitious  natives  thought  me  to  be  a  mighty 
spirit.  Their  king  I  was,  and  they  respected  me,  and  it 
was  my  aim  to  deserve  their  respect  and  love.  I  remem- 
bered the  good  precepts  my  mother  had  tried  to  teach 
me  in  my  boyhood. 

I  cultivated  with  them  truthfulness  and  kindness  of 
heart.  I  took  care  of  their  sick,  I  loved  their  children, 
I  prevented  their  women  from  being  beaten;  I  made 
them  f  3el  they  could  rely  upon  my  word,  so  that  when  I 
promised  a  thing  would  be  done  they  knew  it  would  be 
done.  I  was  firm  at  the  same  time.  I  had  to  be  politic, 
and  there  were  customs  and  superstitions  which  I  dis- 
liked, but  which  I  knew  time  and  education  alone  could 
destroy. 

Remand ji,  his  people,  and  the  whole  of  the  Apingi 
nation  seemed  to  love  me  more  and  more  as  time  passed 
on.  I  had  some  glorious  talks  with  them,  and  every  day 
I  learned  more  of  their  people,  superstitions,  and  cus- 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MOOUIZl 


13 


toms.  I  loved  to  talk  with  those  old  men,  and  they 
loved  to  talk  with  me,  and  to  ask  me  questions  about 
the  land  of  the  Moguizi.  Every  day  we  had  a  talk  to- 
gether. Their  men  would  bring  them  their  palm  wine, 
and  they  would  gradually  sip  it,  just  as  the  Germans  do 
their  beer,  and  jabber  away  at  the  same  time. 

One  sultry  afternoon,  when  the  rays  of  the  sun  were 
pouring  do^^^l  upon  the  forest,  and  making  the  heat  in- 
tense in  the  village,  Remandji,  a  few  old  men,  and  my- 
self Y^nt  towards  the  river,  and,  after  reaching  its  banks, 
we  seated  ourselves  under  a  very  wide-spreading  tree, 
with  the  bi<?  stream  rollino;  at  our  feet.  The  water  was 
yellow  and  turbid,  for  the  rains  had  been  heavy  for  a 
few  days  past. 

After  we  had  seated  ourselves  comfortably  on  some 


WH   ASB   IN    OUUNUIL. 


14:  J^y  AFISGI  KINGDOM. 

logs  of  wood  that  were  lying  on  the  ground — although  I 
did  not  seat  myself  before  I  had  examined  my  log  well, 
for  centipedes  and  scorpions  are  often  found  in  the 
cracks  of  these  dead  pieces  of  wood — I  began  to  ques- 
tion them. 

"  Ivemandji,"  said  I,  "  suppose  you  build  one  hundred 
large  canoes,  while  I  go  to  the  sea-shore  and  bring  back 
to  you  and  the  Apingi  large  quantities  of  guns  and 
swords.  Then,  after  my  return,  suppose  we  load  our 
canoes  with  palm  oil,  India-rubber,  ebony  wood,  ivory, 
gum  copal,  and  then  go  down  the  river  to  the  sea  and 
trade  these  products,  and  bring  back  all  kinds  of  things 
that  the  people  like,  and  would  exchange  for  them. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  T  I  said  to  him,  looking  him 
steadily  but  gently  in  the  face,  for  I  w^anted  to  know  his 
own  thoughts,  not  by  what  he  was  going  to  say,  but  by 
the  expression  he  would  show. 

Remandji  and  the  old  men  round  him  began  to  look 
thouo-litf ul,  and  seemed  for  a  while  to  be  lost  in  reflection. 

Then  Remandji  said  :  "  Spirit,  the  question  you  ask  is 
a  big  thing.  There  are  a  great  many  tribes  of  wild  and 
fighting  men  living  on  the  banks  of  that  big  river  that 
flows  at  our  feet,  and  no  one  has  ever  tried  to  do  what 
you  propose.  If  you  were  to  fly  away,  wdiat  would  be- 
t.orae  of  us  ?  The  whole  country  would  be  against  us ; 
tribe  after  tribe  would  fight  us,  for  they  would  all  say, 
'  How  do  the  Apingi  dare  to  come  down  the  river  and 
pass  us  ?'  I  will  tell  you.  Spirit,  the  names  of  some  of 
the  strange  people  who  live  on  the  banks  of  the  river  be- 
low us." 

I  must  confess  that  some  of  these  names  were  hard  to 
pronounce,  and  if  I  had  not  written  tliem  down  in  my 


TRIBES  or  TWO  GEEAT  RIVERS.  15 

journal  I  should  certainly  have  forgotten  them.  I  give 
some  of  them  to  you,  for  I  want  you  to  know  the  names 
of  some  of  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  banks  of  the  big 
river  by  which  we  stood  —  the  Kambas,  Aviia,  Osoun- 
ga,  Njavi ;  our  old  friends  the  Bakalai,  of  whom  you 
have  been  made  thoroughly  well  acquainted  with  in 
Stories  of  the  Gokilla  Country,  Wild  Life  ender 
THE  Equator,  and  Lost  ix  the  Jungle  ;  Anenga,  Kga- 
loi,  Adjomba,  and  the  Ogobai  people.  "  These  Ngalois, 
Anenga,  Adjomba,  and  Ogobai  people  would  fight  us  all 
the  time,"  said  Remand ji,  "  for  they  have  sworn,  before 
our  fathers  were  born,  that  no  people  fi'om  the  up  river 
should  pass  their  tribe  to  go  down ;  and  who  knows,  per- 
haps, but  that  they  would  call  all  the  people  belonging  to 
another  river  much  bigger  than  ours,  which  is  called  Rem- 
bo  Okanda,  to  come  and  join  them  and  fight  against  us  ? 
Oh,  Spirit,  they  are  mighty  fighting  men  on  the  Rembo 
Okanda  River." 

Then  there  was  a  pause.  Remandji  looked  thought- 
fully on  the  ground,  and  then,  gradually  raising  his  eyes, 
looked  at  me,  and  said  again : 

"  I  know  that  you  want  to  make  the  Apingi  people  a 
great  people  ;  but  what  you  said  can  not  be  done,  for  there 
is,  lower  down  in  the  river,  something  more  formidable, 
more  terrible  than  all  the  wild  people  I  have  spoken  of." 

He  looked  at  me  to  see  if  I  knew  what  it  was,  when 
suddenly  I  shouted, "  Do  you  mean  the  Samba-Nagoshi 
Falls  ?"  for  I  had  heard  of  them  from  the  people  of  the 
sea-shore.  Their  fame  was  greater  even  than  that  of  the 
Nkoumou-Xaboulai  Mountains,  the  summit  of  which  I 
had  tried  to  reach,  of  which  entcrj)rise  you  have  had  an 
account  already. 


16  MY  APIXGI  KINGDOM. 

"  Yes,"  said  Remandji ;  "  no  man  can  pass  through  the 
Samba-Nagoshi.  No  Apingi  would  dare  to  come  near 
it,  for  there  is  death  there,  and  mighty  spirits  reside 
there,  who  guard  the  river."  ^ 

"  Tell  me,"  said  I  to  ilemandji,  "  tell  me  about  the 
Samba-Nagoshi  Falls.  I  want  to  hear  what  you  have  to 
say  about  them." 

Remandji  then  fixed  himself  comfortably  for  a  long 
speech,  and  began  as  follows : 

"  In  the  days  of  old,  long,  long  ago,  there  was  a  great 
spirit  living  in  the  forest,  whose  name  was  Fougamou. 
Fougamou  was  a  great  forger  of  iron,  and  a  mighty  spir- 
it. One  day,  as  Fougamou  was  wandering  through  the 
great  forest,  he  came  upon  the  banks  of  our  river,  and 
made  up  his  mind  to  dwell  by  it.  At  last  the  peoj)le  be- 
gan to  find  out  that  Fougamou  would  work  iron  for  them. 
So,  when  any  one  wanted  a  spear  or  a  hatchet,  battle- 
axe,  knife,  or  any  other  implement,  he  would  go  near  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  cry, '  Oh  !  mighty  Fougamou,  I 
want  this  iron  to  be,  forged  ;'  and  then  he  named  the  in- 
strument he  wanted,  as  he  deposited  the  rough  iron  he 
had  dug  up  on  the  ground.  Then  he  departed,  for  no 
one  could  ever  see  Fougamou  work  the  iron,  for  Fouga- 
mou had  forbidden  people  ever  to  look  at  him,  and  the 
people  were  afraid  to  do  it,  as  they  believed  that  if  ever 
they  saw  him  they  would  die. 

"  The  following  morning,  when  they  went  back  to  the 
place  where  they  had  deposited  the  iron,  they  would  find 
the  weapon  they  had  asked  for  finished.  So  I  need  not 
tell  you,  Spirit,  how  much  Fougamou  was  loved  by  the 
people. 

"When  Fougamou  came  to  live  on  the  banks  of  the 


FO  UGAMO  U  DiaCO  VEES  PEOPLE  L  0  OKIXG  A  T  HIM.      \  7 

river,  he  said  to  himself  that  no  one  should  ever  go  down 
or  up  the  river  in  canoes,  and  he  made  a  mighty  barrier 
across  the  river,  made  of  stone  ;  and  the  water  tumbles 
down  and  runs  so  fast,"  said  Eemandji,  with  a  shudder, 
"  that  if  a  canoe  was  to  be  carried  over  the  falls  it  would 
be  broken  in  pieces,  and  the  people  killed.  I  wish  you 
could  hear  the  roaring  water  of  Fougamou. 

"  Listen,"  added  Remandji,  observing  that  I  was  about 
to  speak ;  "  I  have  not  finished  the  story  of  this  great 
spirit. 

"  One  day,  however,  a  man  and  his  sou  went  in  the 
forest  with  their  iron  and  charcoal  to  ask  Fougamou  to 
work  it  for  them,  but  they  had  made  up  their  mind,  be- 
fore starting,  that  they  would  see  Fougamou  work  the 
iron,  and  find  out  how  it  was  done,  and  they  said, '  Sm-e- 
ly  we  shall  not  die  if  we  see  him.' 

"  So,  after  going  for  a  long  while  through  the  forest,' 
they  came  to  the  spot  where  the  people  were  in  the  habit 
of  depositing  the  iron.  After  leaving  it  and  the  char- 
coal on  the  ground,  they  hid  themselves,  the  father  in 
the  hollow  of  a  tree,  and  the  son  among  the  boughs  of 
another  tree.  Fougamou  came  with  his  son,  for  Fouga- 
mou liad  a  child,  and  began  to  work,  when  suddenly  the 
son  said,  '  Father,  I  smell  the  smell  of  people.'  The 
father  replied, '  Of  course  you  smell  people ;  for  does  not 
the  iron  and  charcoal  come  from  the  hands  of  people  V 
So  they  worked  on.  But  the  son  again  interrupted  his 
father,  saying  again,  '  Father,  I  do  smell  the  smell  of 
people.'  Tlien  Fougamou  began  to  look  round,  thinking 
that  what  his  son  told  him  might  be  true.  Then  he  saw 
the  two  men.  He  roared  with  rage  till  liis  roar  shook 
the  whole  forest ;  and  then,  to  punish  the  father  and  his 


« 


-[  3  MY  APNIOI  KINGDOM. 

son,  he  turned  tlie  tree  in  wliich  the  father  Avas  hidden 
into  an  ant-hill,  and  the  hiding-place  of  the  son  into  a 
nest  of  black  ants.  But,"  added  Remandji,  with  a  great 
sigh,  "since  then  Fougamou  has  never  worked  iron. 
These  two  people  were  aniemba  ("wizards"),  for  they 
broke  the  law  Fougamou  had  made,  and  did  not  wish 
Fougamou  to  work  iron  any  more  for  the  people.  But, 
like  in  the  days  of  old,  he  still  keeps  the  river. 

"  But,  besides  the  great  Fougamou,  there  are  two  other 
spirits  who  live  by  the  river,  and  they  also  have  made 
the  river  such  that  no  canoe  can  pass.  These  tw^o  spir- 
its are  Samba  and  Nagoshi.  Nagoshi  is  the  wife  of 
Samba." 

After  hearino;  the  interesting  legend  of  Samba -ISTa- 
goshi,  I  was  surprised  that  time  had  gone  on  so  rapidly. 
The  sun  had  disappeared  behind  the  trees,  and  darkness 
was  soon  to  succeed  daylight.  The  birds  were  looking 
for  the  trees  they  intended  to  rest  upon  for  the  night. 
Flocks  of  parrots  were  making  for  different  parts  of  the 
forest.  The  insects  were  seeking  for  the  leaves  where 
4;hey  were  going  to  take  sheltei',  and  the  butterflies  had 
become  quiet. 

How  quickly  time  had  fled !  What  strange  "  talks"  I 
had  heard ! 

So  we  got  np  and  made  for  the  village.  When  we 
entered  it  the  people  seemed  glad  to  see  us  again,  and  I 
heard  them  say, "  Look  how  the  Spirit  seems  to  love  Re- 
mandji!" 


CHAPTEE  III. 

PEEPAKATIOXS    FOE    HUNTDCG.  —  PEOPLE    ORDERED    TO    GET 

READY. THE  IDOL  IS  PUT  IN  THE  STREET. DANCE  WITH 

TORCHLIGHTS. THE    IDOL    SAYS    WE  WILL    KILL    GAISIE. 

THE   PEOPLE    BELIEVE    IT. 

If  you  had  been  in  the  Apingi  country  on  that  same 
evening  of  the  day  when  I  heard  the  legend  of  the  Fou- 
gamou  and  Saniba-Nagoshi,  which  I  have  just  related  to 
you,  you  would  have  seen  me  under  the  little  veranda 
of  Reman dji's  hut,  seated  quietly  by  his  side,  and  talk- 
ing to  him.  Remandji  is  a  great  smoker,  and  did  really 
enjoy  his  pipe.  It  was  a  splendid  pipe,  made  of  clay, 
and  he  smoked  through  a  long  reed,  the  pipe  resting  on 
tlie  ground.  It  really  did  me  good  also  to  see  Remandji 
enjoy  his  pipe.  I  was  almost  sorry  I  could  not  keep  him 
company,  but  I  do  not  use  tobacco  in  any  form. 

We  were  talking  about  a  hunt  to  be  made.  He  said, 
"  Moguizi,  at  some  distance  from  our  village  we  have 
built  a  fence  in  the  forest  with  little  sticks  about  so 
high ;"  then  he  raised  his  liand  to  show  me  how  high  it 
was,  and  I  judged  it  was  about  five  or  six  feet,  and  he 
added  that  it  was  of  great  length,  but  could  not  tell  how 
long.  He  said  it  was  many  and  many  a  time  longer 
than  the  village.  We  built  this  fence  the  last  rainy  sea- 
son, and  from  place  to  place,  not  far  from  each  other, 
there  are  kind  of  loojp-holes^  in  which  tlie  game  we  chase 
before  us  goes  in,  and  then  can  not  get  out. 


20  MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 

"  The  day  after  to-morrow,"  said  he,  "  if  you  like  we 
will  form  a  large  party  to  drive  the  game  into  there. 
To-morrow  we  will  collect  food,  and  start  early  the  next 
morning.  We  will  take  a  hunting  path  which  passes 
through  the  fence,  and  we  will  continue  to  travel  to  the 
other  side  till  we  are  a  good  long  way  from  it,  then  we 
will  sleep  in  the  woods,  and  the  next  morning  will  separ- 
ate from  each  other,  but  you  and  I  will  remain  together." 

The  old  men  around  us  agreed  to  this,  and  people 
were  sent  to  many  of  the  Apingi  villages  to  tell  tlie  in- 
habitants that  the  second  day  afterward  they  must  come 
to  our  village,  for  the  Spirit  wanted  to  go  and  hunt, 
andEemandji  was  going  with  him. 

That  same  evening  I  furbished  up  a  double-barreled 
smooth-bore  gun,  which  I  intended  to  load  with  buck- 
shot for  gazelles.  Then  I  prepared  another  gun,  which 
was  to  be  loaded  with  bullets  for  larger  game,  such  as 
elephants,  gorillas,  leopards,  etc.  In  the  afternoon  hun- 
dreds of  people  came  into  the  village;  they  were  the 
men  that  were  to  start  with  Remandji  and  me  for  the 
hunt. 

I  remember  well  that  night  before  our  departure, 
though  several  years  have  passed  since  then.  The  night 
was  clear,  the  stars  were  bright,  and  only  a  few  fleecy 
white  clouds,  which  moved  overhead  slowly,  were  to 
be  seen.  The  huge  idol,  at  eight  o'clock  by  my  watch, 
was  taken  from  its  house  and  put  in  front  of  it.  Soon 
the  moon  rose,  and  its  bright  light  shone  upon  the  street, 
and  every  Apingi  hut  could  be  seen  distinctly.  Back  of 
the  huts  the  trees  cast  their  huge  shadows,  and  I  could 
hear  the  whisper  of  the  wind  as  it  blew  through  the  for- 
est and  over  the  village.     The  huge  bats,  commonly  call- 


A  HORRIB-LOOKIXG  IDOL.  21 

ed  vampires^  flew  above  our  heads  as  tliey  passed  into 
the  forest  to  hang  themselves  to  the  branches  of  the 
trees.  What  a  queer  cry  they  had !  How  strangely 
sounded  the  noise  they  made !  The  croaking  of  frogs  in 
the  neighboring  swamps  could  be  distinctly  heard.  That 
part  of  the  village  where  I  stood  was  almost  as  quiet  as 
the  night  itself,  for  all  the  villagers  and  the  strangers 
had  gone  to  the  other  end,  and  were  no  doubt  talking 
over  their  stories,  or  discussing  the  plans  of  the  hunt  for 
the  morrow. 

I  was  facing  the  idol,  and  thought  what  an  ugly  thing 
it  was.  It  was  a  female,  about  three  feet  in  height, 
carved  of  wood,  having  a  tremendous  chest,  which  was 
full  of  charmed  powder.  Its  head-dress  was  made  of 
the  httle  bristles  from  the  tail  of  a  porcupine.  It  wore 
a  necklace  made  of  the  teeth  of  monkeys ;  the  eyes  were 
made  of  pieces  of  polished  iron ;  round  its  waist  it  had  a 
belt  of  feathers  of  wild  guinea-fowl,  while  at  its  feet  lay 
skulls  of  monkeys  and  of  other  wild  animals. 

As  I  was  looking  at  this  strange,  ugly  thing,  I  wonder- 
ed how  it  was  that  men  could  believe  that  such  things, 
made  with  their  own  hands,  could  talk,  walk,  eat,  and 
wink  their  eyes,  and  work  their  vengeance  on  people; 
but  then  I  remembered  that  there  were  once  nations  far 
liigher  in  civilization  than  these  poor  creatures,  people 
wlio  liave  left  to  us  noble  and  magnificent  works  of  ai-t 
and  skill,  who  were  equally  imbued  with  the  same  folly 
and  superstition.  As  I  stood  there  thinking  of  these 
strange  things,  friend  Remandji  came  to  me  and  said 
tliat  the  crowd  were  coming  to  dance  round  the  idol,  and 
ask  it  to  make  us  have  plenty  of  game. 

After  a  while  great  numbers  of  people  came  with 


%^ 


22  MY  AFlSOl  KINODOM. 

drums,  and  with  a  great  quantity  of  torches  made  of  the 
pitch  produced  from  a  certain  tree.  These  were  lighted 
and  stuck  in  the  ground  surrounding  the  idol,  excepting 
that  there  was  a  spot  left  open  in  front  for  the  people  to 
come  close,  so  that  they  might  speak  to  it.  How  strange 
the  lurid  glare  of  these  torches  made  the  idol  appear! 
By  the  peculiar  light  the  wooden  god  looked  ten  times  as 
ugly  as  it  aj^peared  before. 

About  twenty  yards  in  front  of  it  the  drummers  put 
themselves  in  a  row.  There  were  about  fifty  of  them, 
and  they  began  to  beat  their  drums,  and  the  people  be- 
gan to  sing  to  the  idol,  and  promised  to  bring  to  it  a 
great  quantity  of  game,  if  they  were  fortunate  enough  to 
kill  much. 

Towards  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  number  of 
drummers  and  dancers  became  less  and  less,  till  at  last 
no  one  was  left  on  the  dancing-ground  but  the  idol.  The 
next  morning  many  of  the  villagers  swore  that  during 
the  night  the  idol  walked  in  the  street,  and  spoke  aloud, 
and  told  the  people  that  a  large  quantity  of  game  was  to 
be  caught  in  the  chase.  So  every  body  was  joyous,  and 
«}oon  every  thing  was  ready  for  our  departure. 


UAMUMi    1II-.HM:i.     1  111.    IP' 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PORCUPINE  HUNTING. THEY  COISIE  OUT  OF  THEIR  BLllROW?. 

— FIERCE   ATTACK    OF    THE    DOGS. — PORCUPmE    TRAPS. — • 
THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  PORCUPINE  AND  OF  THE  LEOPARD. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  scene  just  described  to 
yon  in  the  preceding  chapter,  Okabi  and  I  resolved  to 
go  to  a  place  not  far  from  the  village,  which  he  had  dis- 
covered while  rambling  in  the  forest,  where  porcupines 
were  abundant.  So  we  left,  taking  with  us  four  dogs, 
and  after  about  an  hour's  walk  we'  came  to  a  place  in 
the  forest,  near  the  bottom  of  a  hill,  where  tlie  ground 
was  very  stony.  It  was  not  long  before  I  discovered 
many  burrows  where  the  creatures  were  hidden.  The 
dogs  at  once  began  to  bark  furiously  at  tlie  entrance  of 
the  burrows,  and  to  try  to  get  in  by  scratching  away  the 
earth.  The  porcupine  being  a  nocturnal  animal,  they 
had  all  retired  into  their  holes.  But  we  should  have  liad 
to  wait  long  if  we  had  waited  for  the  dogs  to  dig  them 
out.  We  had  provided  ourselves  with  an  implement  for 
digging,  and  went  to  work  in  good  earnest  at  one  of  the 
burrows.  We  soon  started  one  of  the  animals,  and  off 
he  went  on  a  run,  with  the  dogs  after  him.  They  speed! 
ly  overtook  him,  and  barked  and  jumped  briskly  round 
him,  but  were  afraid  to  touch  the  creature.  I  did  not 
blame  them,  for  it  would  have  done  no  good.  This 
was  a  big  one,  and  his  long,  sharp-pointed  quills  spread 
rapidlv,  and  protected  the  animal  a?  if  they  were   so 

B 


2g  MY  APINGI  KIN0D03L 

many  bayonets.  His  little  tufted  tail,  which  was  cover- 
ed with  most  extraordinary  little  balls  of  quills  of  a  yel- 
lowish color,  which  at  first  sight  look  like  a  horny  sub- 
stance or  thick  parchment,  rattled  as  the  porcupine 
moved  about ;  and,  if  I  had  been  in  the  land  of  rattle- 
snakes, and  had  not  seen  the  porcupine,  I  might  liave 
then  thought  that  one  was  near  at  hand.  Some  of  the 
quills  in  the  middle  of  the  creature's  back  are  five  and 
six  inches  long,  and  sometimes'  even  longer.  They  are 
very  sharply  pointed.  There  was  no  fear  of  the  dogs 
getting  hold  of  him.  Indeed,  no  animal  w^ould  relish 
such  a  mouthful.  Neither  the  leopards  nor  hyenas 
would  venture  upon  it.  The  dogs  knew  tliat  it  was  of 
no  use  for  them  to  try,  and  hence  they  were  mad.  "We 
could  not  help  laughing  to  see  them.  Their  hair  stood 
right  up,  so  furious  were  they,  so  that  their  l^acks  al- 
most appeared  like  that  of  the  porcupine,  only  with  short 
quills.  They  would  come  near  and  bark  furiously,  shovr 
their  teeth,  and  then  back  out.  Finally  the  porcupine 
turned  round,  and,  having  a  stone  to  protect  him,  showed 
fight ;  this  made  the  dogs  bark  more  furiously  than  ever. 
Nothing  but  a  smart  blow  on  the  head  of  the  porcupine 
would  kill  him,  for  we  could  not  take  hold  of  the  animal 
with  our  hands.  His  quills  would  liave  gone  through 
them.  Seizing  a  piece  of  wood,  I  just  gave  the  fellow  a 
stunning  blow  on  his  head,  which  laid  liim  out  on  the 
ground,  and  another  blow  on  the  head  again  finished 
him. 

I  saw  that  the  longest  quills  were  flexible,  and  could 
not  do  much  harm  to  an  enemy,  the  shorter  ones  being 
stiff.  The  porcupine  feeds  on  roots,  leaves,  nuts,  and 
different  vegetable  productions.     The  quills  of  the  por- 


HOW rOECUPINES  ARE  TRAPPED. 


27 


POUOLI'lNK  uujst. 


cupine  are  often  used  as  pen-holders,  and  very  pretty 
ones  they  make. 

They  come  out  of  their  burrows  about  sunset,  and 
wander  during  the  night.  When  the  natives  have  dis- 
covered a  porcupine  burrow,  which  is  sometimes  very 
deep,  they  set  a  trap  that  is  so  constructed  that  it  catches 
the  animal  when  it  comes  out.  This  trap  is  made  of  the 
bough  of  a  tree,  one  end  of  whicli  is  firmly  fixed  on  the 
ground  ;  the  other  extremity  is  bent  forward,  and  to  it  i? 
attached  a  noose  with  a  slip-knot  just  over  the  opening  of 
the  burrow.  The  porcupine,  in  coming  out,  puts  his  head 
into  this  noose,  and  at  the  same  time  loosens  a  peg  that 
liolds  the  spring  lightly  by  pushing  forward,  and  up  he 
goes  into  the  air,  hung  by  the  neck.  The  noose  grows 
tighter  and  tighter  the  more  he  moves  and  shakes,  and 


28  MY  APINGI  EIXGDOM. 

soon  strangles  liim  to  deatli.     I  have  often  seen  porcu- 
pines trapped  in  this  way. 

Immediately  after  the  first  blow  the  quills  began  tr- 
drop  down  flat  on  its  back ;  at  the  second  blow  the  ani- 
mal was  killed. 

After  killing  two  more  porcupines  we  returned  to  the 
village.  A  little  after  my  arrival  I  found  that  there  was 
to  be  a  fight  among  the  villagers.  They  all  wanted  the 
tails  of  the  porcupines,  and  every  body  thought  he  had  a 
right  to  them.  Every  body  was  shouting  at  the  top  of 
his  voice,  as  if  they  thought  the  one  who  could  make  the 
most  noise  had  the  best  right  to  the  spoils.  This  great 
fuss  was  made  on  account  of  the  porcupines'  tails  being- 
used  for  fetiches  or  charms.  I  stopped  the  noise  by  say- 
ing that  if  there  were  a  fight  for  these  tails,  I  should  join 
in  it,  and  knock  down  right  and  left.  This  talk  of  mine 
put  a  stop  to  their  quarrel;  and,  in  order  to  satisfy  them 
and  make  them  good-natured,  I  appropriated  the  three 
tails  myself,  so  there  might  be  no  jealousy. 

The  porcupine  is  really  good  to  eat.  Having  some 
nice,  fresh  palm  oil,  made  the  day  before  from  nuts  we 
had  collected,  I  cooked  my  share  in  the  oil,  and,  having 
seasoned  it  with  salt  and  plenty  of  Cayenne  pepper,  I 
had  a  splendid  dinner. 

As  we  had  been  hunting  porcupines  all  the  morning, 
we  were  bound  to  have  a  porcupine  story  on  my  return. 
Okabi  was  a  real  good  story-teller,  and  so  he  began : 

"  A  long  time  ago,  when  my  father  was  a  boy,  one  day 
he  got  very  greatly  scared.  lie  was  coming  back  to  the 
village  from  the  forest,  where  he  had  gone  in  search  of 
wild  honey,  when  he  suddenly  saw,  near  the  hunting 
path,  an  immense  leopard  lying  flat  on  the  ground.     The 


LL'OPAUD  WATCHING  A  PORCUPIXh.  29 

leopard's  back  was  tui-ned  towards  him,  and  so  the  crea- 
ture did  not  see  him.  His  long  tail  wagged  to  and  fro, 
and  he  lay  very  quiet.  Father,  seeing  a  big  hollow  tree 
close  to  him,  hid  himself  in  it.  But  he  did  not  feel  safe. 
He  was  afraid  to  stir  or  make  any  sound,  for  fear  of 
alarming  the  leopard  and  betraying  himself.  Looking 
closely,  he  saw  that  the  leopard  was  watcliing  a  porcu- 
pine about  a  yard  in  front  of  his  nose.  The  poor  porcu- 
pine was  all  drawn  up  in  a  bunch.  His  quills  were  all 
standing  out  like  so  many  sharp-pointed  spears,  and  it 
was  evident  that  both  were  at  a  stand-still.  The  leop- 
ard, not  a  bit  frightened,  seemed  to  be  lying  in  wait  for 
the  proper  time  to  kill  his  prey,  while  the  porcupine, 
knowing  full  well  that,  if  it  did  not  keep  on  the  defen- 
sive, or  tried  to  escape,  the  leopard  would  turn  him  over 
^\ath  one  stroke  of  his  huge  paw,  and  expose  the  under 
part  of  his  body,  which  is  soft  and  undefended  with  quills. 
He  would  then  fall  an  easy  prey  to  the  leopard's  sharp 
claws.  So  the  porcupine  stood  still,  rolled  up  so  tight 
that  he  could  liardly  turn  his  head,  and  thoroughly  pro- 
tected by  his  bristling  quills. 

"  My  father  saw  the  leopard  now  and  then  try,  with  its 
big  long  paw,  to  di-aw  the  porcupine  towards  him,  but  he 
would  instantly  take  it  ctff,  the  quills  pricking  him  in  a 
way  he  did  not  like  at  all.  There  the  leopard  lay  and 
lay,  till  at  last  he  got  up,  and  father  became  very  much 
afraid,  for  he  knew  not  if  the  leopard  had  smelt  him. 
Nothing,"  said  Okabi,"  saved  him  but  the  monda  (fetich) 
which  he  M'ore,  and  which  came  from  my  grandfather, 
for  grandfather  was  a  great  hunter  and  a  daring  Avarrior." 
The  people  shouted  witli  one  voice, "  So  he  was." 

"  The  leopard,  after  a  great  while,  went  away,  but  not 


30  ^Y  APIXOI  KIN  OB  OM. 

without  giving  a  fearful  growl  of  disappointment,  but  it 
was  long  before  father  left  his  hiding-place,  being  afraid 
of  the  treachery  of  the  leopard,  for  they  are  not  to  be 
trusted.  It  was  a  long  time  before  the  porcupine  moved 
away,  and  my  father  did  not  want  to  kill  him,  '  for,' 
said  he, '  the  porcupine  has  escaped  from  such  a  dan- 
gerous enemy,  why  should  I  kill  him  ?'  '• 

I  was  quite  ready  for  the  great  hunt  to  come  off  in 
the  morning,  and  went  to  sleep,  having  before  my  eyes 
visions  of  great  quantities  of  game. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  SPIEIT,  OUR  KING.  —  GREAT  NUISEBER  OF  PLAINTAIN- 
TKEES. CURIOUS  FENCE  FOR  GAME. — WE  MARCH  SILENT- 
LY.   WE     SURROUND     OURSELVES     WITH     FIRES.  THE 

STRANGE   LEGEND   OF    ARONDO-IENOU. 

The  next  morning  the  cries  of  the  wild  guinea-fowls 
which  had  come  near  the  village  awoke  me.  It  was 
just  daylight.  The  birds  had  come  down  from  the  trees 
where  they  had  perched  for  the  night,  and  were  wander- 
ing in  the  neighboring  jungle.  I  immediately  jumped 
from  mv  bed.  It  took  but  little  time  to  dress,  for  my 
coat  and  my  shoes  were  the  only  part  of  my  clothing 
I  had  removed  on  lying  down.  By  my  side  lay  two  of 
my  guns.  Taking  a  gun  with  me,  I  went  to  a  little 
stream  meandering  not  far  from  the  village,  and  wash- 
ed my  face  in  its  cool  and  clear  water. 

On  my  return  I  found  that  all  the  villagers  were 
awake,  and  busy  getting  ready  for  our  hunting  trip. 
Remandji  was  standing  before  my  hut,  and,  as  soon  as  I 
made  my  appearance,  they  all  shouted, "  The  Spirit,  our 
king,  is  coming." 

Every  one  loaded  himself  with  his  own  provisions 
with  the  exception  of  Remandji  and  myself,  and  some 
of  the  boys  carried  the  provisions  of  tlieir  fathers  or 
uncles  in  queer-looking  bags.  So  we  started.  Several 
wives  of  the  king  accompanied  us.     Our  way  was  along 


32  MY  AFWGI  KISODOM. 

a  narrow  Imntiug  path  which  led  us  through  some 
splendid  plantations  of  plantain-trees  and  of  cassada, 
which  were  worked  by  Reman dji's  wives  and  slaves. 
Kow  and  then  we  crossed  through  large  patches  of  sug- 
ar -  cane,  planted  also  by  Remandji's  wives.  Two  or 
three  days  before,  the  cliimpanzees  had  come  in  large 
numbers  and  eaten  a  great  quantity  of  it.  Many  patch- 
es of  canes  had  been  torn  up  and  partly  destroyed  on 
the  spot.  The  Apingi  and  Eemandji  cursed  the  chim-. 
panzees  as  we  passed  by  the  half-destroyed  patches  of 
the  cane. 

After  going  through  thousands  and  thousands  of  plant- 
ain-trees, we  took  a  hunting  path,  and,  after  a  walk  of 
about  three  hours,  we  came  to  the  "  fence,"  whicli  I  ex- 
amined carefully.  The  fence  appeared  to  me  like  a 
miniatui-e  wall  surrounding  a  fortified  town  ;  it  was 
about  six  feet  in  height,  and  every  twenty  or  thirty  yards 
there  was  a  cul  de  sac.  Each  of  these  was  about  ten  or 
twelve  feet  in  length,  about  eigliteen  inches  or  two  feet 
broad  at  the  opening,  and  gradually  narrowed  toward  the 
end,  so  that  the  game,  once  in,  could  not  turn  round  to 
get  out.  The  sticks  were  small,  about  six  feet  in  height, 
stuck  in  the  ground,  and  closely  tied  together  by  the  help 
of  creepers  and  lianes.  This  game  fence  was  said  to  be 
of  very  great  length. 

"We  continued  our  march  for  at  least  three  hours  aft- 
er we  had  passed  the  fence,  keeping  perfectly  silent  in 
the  mean  time,  not  a  single  man  uttering  a  word,  as  we 
did  not  want  to  frighten  tlie  game  away.  At  length  we 
came  to  a  spot  where  there  was  a  large  clearing,  whicli 
had  been  made  by  the  natives.  I  could  see  at  once  that 
the  spot  was  a  rendezvous  for  hunting  parties,  as  there 


CA3ITIXG  FOR  THE  XIGHT.  33 

were  remains  of  old  fires  all  about,  and  I  saw  the  bones 
of  wild  animals  which  had  been  eaten  before  scattered 
on  the  ground.  Sheds  had  also  been  constructed  of 
large  bonghs,  thatched  with  leaves,  to  protect  the  people 
from  the  heavy  rains. 

On  each  side  of  the  camp  ran  a  hunting  path,  which 
divero-ed  from  the  one  we  had  come  by.  One  of  these 
hunting  paths  ran  straightly  to  the  left,  and  the  other  to 
the  right — that  is,  one  went  directly  north,  while  the 
other  went  directly  south.  The  path  we  had  taken  from 
Kemandji  ran  almost  eastward.  The  game  fence  we 
had  passed  ran,  as  I  had  been  given  to  understand,  south 
and  north,  so  I  came  to  tlie  conclusion  that  these  two 
patlis  were  running  parallel  with  the  fence.  When  I  ask- 
ed Remand ji,  I  saw  that  I  was  not  mistaken. 

This  encampment  which  we  had  just  reached  was  the 
spot  where  we  were  to  spend  the  night ;  so  some  of  the 
men  went  immediately  to  work  and  collected  a  large 
quantity  of  firewood,  while  others  went  after  large  leaves 
to  repair  the  sheds,  which  were  somewhat  dilapidated,  as 
it  had  been  a  long  time  since  the  Apingi  had  come  here. 
Remandji  and  I  had  our  sheds  close  to  each  other.  I 
lighted  four  fires,  one  at  my  head,  one  on  my  left,  anoth- 
er on  my  right,  and  another  at  my  feet.  I  always  liked 
to  surround  myself  witli  fire,  for  I  did  not  fancy  the 
snakes  which  often  crawl  about  at  night,  and,  above  all, 
I  did  not  fancy  to  be  carried  away  in  the  jaws  of  a  leop- 
ard, for  there  is  no  way  to  get  out  of  a  leopard's  jaw  aft- 
er you  are  there,  and  I  did  not  care  in  tlie  least  to  be 
carried  off  in  that  manner,  and  be  devoured  by  such  a 
monster.  I  thought  this  would  be  no  joke,  and  I  am 
sure,  my  dear  youiig  folks,  you  think  just  as  I  do.    Leop- 

B2 


34  ^'^  APING  I  KINGD  OM. 

ards  were  plentiful,  and  the  Apingi  took  great  care  to 
light  a  great  many  fires,  for  all  wild  beasts  are  afraid  of 
fire. 

Each  man  cooked  his  own  meal — that  is  to  say,  every 
one  roasted  his  plantain  and  his  meat,  which  was  either 
a  dry  piece  of  elephant,  some  smoked  monkey,  snake,  or 
fish — about  bright  charcoal  fires.  So  the  fragrance  of 
our  cooking  spread  from  one  end  of  the  camp  to  the 
other. 

After  our  meal  the  time  to  tell  stories  came,  and  I  am 
going  to  tell  you  one  or  tw^o  w^hich  were  interesting  to 
me,  and  may  prove  so  to  you.  Okabi  was  to  be  the 
spokesman. 

"  Atoongouloo-Shimba  was  a  king,  having  come  to  his 
kingdom  by  law  of  inheritance.  Atoongouloo  had  made 
up  his  mind  that  whoever  should  quarrel  in  his  domin- 
ions he  would  eat.  After  eating  people  after  people,  he 
was  left  all  alone.  A  neighboring  king,  called  Koniam- 
bie,  had  a  beautiful  child,  named  Arondo-Ienou.  Atoon- 
gouloo-Shimba married  this  daughter  of  Koniambie,  and, 
after  he  had  put  the  rings  on  her  legs,*  he  started  for  the 
forest,  to  catch  wild  beasts  with  the  Ashinga  net,  leaving 
his  wife  alone  in  the  village. 

"  Koniambie,  besides  Arondo-Ienou,  had  three  children 
— three  boys.  The  eldest  was  called  Ndjali  (gun  or  thun- 
der). Ndjali  said  he  was  going  to  take  back  from  Atoon- 
gouloo-Shimba his  sister,  and  Atoongouloo-Shimba  ate 
Ndjali,  who  had  come  to  take  away  his  wife  from  him. 
He  ate  also  the  second  brother.  When  a  woman  has 
several  children,  the  last  one  is  called  Reninga.     So  Re- 

*  The  putting  of  rings  on  the  legs  is  like  the  giving  of  the  weddiog  ring 
among  us. 


FWUr  BETWEEN  ATOOXGOULOOSHIMBA  AXD  EEXISOA.    35 

ninga  came  to  take  away  his  sister,  and  he  and  Atoon- 
gouloo-Shimba  fought  and  fought  from  morning  till  the 
sun  reached  the  meridian,  but  linallv  Atoongouloo  suc- 
ceeded in  eating  Reninga ;  but  Eeninga  had  a  fetich, 
and  came  out  of  Atoongouloo-Shimba  alive. '"^ 

"When  the  latter  saw  this,  he  said,  'What  are  you  com- 
ing back  for?'  Then  he  put  the  chalk  of  the  Alumbi 
on  Eeninga  and  Arondo-Ienou  ;  then,  joining  their  hands 
together,  he  blew  a  breath  upon  them,  and  said  to  Re- 
ninga, '  Take  your  sister  away.'  Then  Reninga  took  his 
sister  away.  After  that,  Atoongouloo-Shimba  drowned 
himself,  because  his  wife  had  been  taken  away  from 
him.  But,  before  dying,  he  said  to  Reninga, '  If  Arondo- 
Ienou  ever  marries  another  man,  she  will  die.'  Aronao- 
lenou  did  not  believe  the  saying  of  Reninga,  and  mar- 
ried another  man,  and  she  at  once  died. 

"At  the  place  where  Atoongouloo  droAnied  himself, 
when  a  stranger  looks  in  the  water  he  sees  in  the  deep 
the  body  of  Arondo-Ienou,  and  her  nails  appear  like 
looking-glass. 

"  Since  that  time  water  is  often  called  Arondo-Ienou, 
because  people  can  see  their  own  likeness  in  it  on  ac- 
count of  the  nails  of  Arondo-Ienou.  Before  the  death 
of  Arondo-Ienou,  the  water  could  not  reflect  the  image 
of  people." 

*  They  have  all  sorts  of  monda,  "  fetiches,  gree-gi*ees,''  many  of  which^ 
are  supposed  to  work  miracles. 


1 

^E 

S            ^3                    _ll     ''"JfcB. 

^^^ 

1^ 

^^ 

s 

1 

CHAPTER  VI. 


EirFICULT  HUNTING  PATH. — THE  MEN  SCATTEE. — KEMANDJI 

AND    MYSELF    REMAIN    TOGETHER. FEAR    OF    ELEPHANTS. 

CAPTURE  OF  GAME. SNAKES  ARE  KILLED. 

At  daylight  we  were  all  up  and  ready.  We  divided 
ourselves  into  two  parties ;  one  took  the  path  which  led 
northward,  and  the  other  the  path  which  led  southward. 
Eemandji  and  I  belonged  to  the  southern  party.  We 
were  equally  divided  in  number,  each  side  having  about 
three  hundred  people. 

I  saw  by  my  compass  that  we  were  going  directly 
south.  Eemandji  and  I,  with  a  few  other  men,  who  were 
his  nephews,  kept  in  the  rear  of  our  line.  This  hunting- 
path  was  an  awful  one.  It  had  not  been  used  for  a  long 
time,  and  the  jungle  had  overgrown  and  covered  it,  and 
there  were  great  numbers  of  fallen  trees  in  our  way,  and 
some  of  these  were  so  very  big  that  I  can  assure  you  it 
was  no  joke  to  climb  over  them  or  go  under  them. 
It  became  very  wearisome.  After  a  while,  every  twenty 
or  thirty  yards  more  or  less,  we  would  station  a  man  in 
the  path,  to  remain  there  till  he  heard  the  horn  sound, 
which  was  the  signal  to  advance  forward  toward  the 
west,  that  is  to  say,  toward  the  fence.  At  length  half  of 
the  men  of  our  party  had  been  left  at  different  points 
along  the  road.     Remandji  and  I  and  two  of  his  nephews 


ABVAXCIXO   TOWARD  THE'  OAMK.  -^i^ 

halted,  and  let  tlic  remainder  pass  us  and  go  ahead,  as 
we  wished  to  remain  about  in  the  centre.  Those  who 
passed  us  were  to  leave  men,  as  had  been  done  before, 
till  none  were  left.  Okabi  was  their  leader.  We  were 
to  keep  perfectly  still ;  not  a  man  was  to  uttei  a  word. 
Then,  when  the  last  man  was  posted,  Okabi  was  to  sound 
the  horn,  and  those  who  had  horns  along  the  line  were  to 
answer  the  signal. 

The  other  half  of  our  party,  which  had  taken  the  north- 
ern path,  had  been  doing  exactly  what  we  had  done.  At 
certain  distances  apart  they  had  stationed  their  horn- 
men,  who  were  to  answer  as  soon  as  they  heard  the 
horns  from  our  side,  as  that  would  be  the  signal  that 
tliere  were  no  more  men  to  station,  and  that  every  one 
was  ready  to  advance  toward  the  fence.  Remand ji  and 
I,  who  were  at  the  centre  of  the  line,  waited  at  least  one 
hour  before  the  horn  sounded ;  of  course  we  did  not 
hear  the  most  distant  horns,  but,  as  soon  as  the  farther 
one  was  blown,  the  one  nearest  to  it  answered,  and  so  on, 
till  at  last  the  signal  was  sounded  all  along  the  line,  from 
the  last  man  south  to  the  last  man  north.  This  was  the 
signal  that  every  thing  was  ready.  Then  we  advanced, 
each  man  straight  before  him  westward,  that  is  to  say, 
right  toward  the  fence.  We  shouted,  we  hallooed,  each 
man  trying  to  shout  louder  than  the  rest.  Our  only  fear 
was  that  elephants  might  lie  between  us  and  the  fence, 
and  that  in  running  away  they  would  break  through  the 
obstinictions,  and  that  the  smaller  game  would  go  through 
tlie  gaps  the  elephants  would  make,  and  then  escape 
from  us. 

We  were,  I  thouglit,  about  six  or  seven  miles  from  the 
fence.     Steadily  we  advanced  tln-ough  the  thick  jungle, 


3S  MY  APIXGI  KINGDOM. 

which  at  times  was  terribly  close ;  and  the  only  way  we 
know  that  we  were  going  straight  was  by  the  many  small 
branches  of  young  trees  which  had  been  broken  by  par- 
ties who  had  been  hunting  here  before  us. 

Of  course  the  game  fled  before  us,  for  the  great  noise 
we  made  frightened  them  very  much  ;  but,  as  they  could 
run  faster  through  the  forest  than  we  could,  we  did  not 
expect  to  come  to  a  fight  or  a  slaughter  before  we  reach- 
ed the  fence.  Our  only  fear,  as  I  said,  was  that  ele- 
phants were  between  us  and  the  fence.  If  it  was  so,  we 
should  not  get  much  game,  and  perhaps  might  lose  it  all. 

Steadily,  slowly,  but  surely  we  came  nearer  and  near- 
er the  fence.  At  last  a  wild  shout  ran  along  the  line. 
The  fence  came  in  sight,  and  what  a  sight  it  -was !  Wild 
beasts  of  all  kinds  were  running  to  and  fro,  mad  with  ter- 
ror. Hyenas,  porcupines,  black  wild  boars,  gazelles,  ante- 
lopes, wild  cats,  and  even  snakes  were  driven  helter-skel- 
ter within  the  inclosure.  They  would  run  along  the 
fence  till  they  came  to  the  long  pouches,  or  cul  de  sac, 
and,  thinking  these  were  ways  of  escape,  into  them  they 
would  go,  and  find  they  were  snared. 

The  spears  of  the  Apingi  went  through  the  animals 
along  the  whole  line.  The  slaughter  was  terrific.  My  first 
shot  was  for  a  very  large  snake,  some  nineteen  feet  long, 
a  python,  which,  seeing  that  he  could  not  get  through 
the  fence,  made  in  my  direction,  and  was  spreading  ter- 
ror and  dismay  among  the  Apingi,  for  it  had  its  mouth 
wide  open,  its  sharp-pointed  tongue  was  thrust  a  long 
way  out,  and  its  hissing  could  even  be  heard  in  tlie  midst 
of  the  uproar  that  raged  around  us. 

I  was  glad  that  we  had  not  been  troubled  by  ele- 
phants. 


GREAT  SLAUGHTER  OF  BEASTS.  41  . 

I  immediately  advanced,  after  reloading  the  barrel  I 
had  fired.  There  was  a  savage  black  boar,  whose  sharp 
muzzle  had  been  thi-ust  between  the  sticks  of  the  fence, 
so  that  he  was  in  a  fair  way  to  get  through,  but  a  shot 
of  mine  put  an  end  to  its  life.  A  fine  fat  creature  it 
was.  I  suddenly  saw  an  ugly  big  wild  cat,  at  which  an 
Apingi  had  hurled  a  spear,  but  had  missed  him.  The 
creature,  being  brought  to  bay,  was  about  to  spring  upon 
his  assailant,  Avhen,  in  a  jiffy,  I  brought  him  down,  in  the 
midst  of  the  great  cheers  of  those  around  us. 

The  cul  de  sac,  which,  according  to  the  hunting  laws, 
belonged  to  me,  was  filled  with  gazelles,  which  were  im- 
mediately speared  by  the  Apingi.  There  was  a  porcu- 
pine among  them,  which  could  not  have  been  at  all  a 
pleasant  companion  to  the  gazelles.  It  would  be  hard  to 
say  which  of  the  creatures  was  the  most  frightened. 

The  excitement  all  along  the  line  was  intense,  and  the 
lord  shouts  of  the  Apingi  sounded  strangely  in  the  woods. 
But  at  last  all  quieted  down  again.  All  the  game  worth 
killing  had  been  killed,  and  whatever  was  too  large  for 
a  single  man  to  carry  was  cut  up  in  small  pieces.  Then, 
taking  up  our  line  of  march,  we  followed  the  fence,  and 
advanced  toward  the  same  main  path  fi'om  which  we  had 
separated,  and  before  evening  we  were  in  our  camping- 
ground  of  the  day  before.  There  \ve  all  met  and  count- 
ed the  spoils.  The  slangnter  of  wild  beasts  had  been 
very  great.  There  were  six  wild  black  boars,  twenty- 
three  gazelles,  seven  porcupines,  five  wild  cats,  three  hy- 
enas, seven  red  antelopes,  and  three  huge  snakes.  These 
last  were  to  be  cooked  in  plantain  leaves,  with  lemon- 
juice  and  plenty  of  Cayenne  pepper,  of  which  there  is  a 
great  abundance  in  the  country. 


42  MY  APING  I  KINGDOM. 

After  every  body  had  arrived  a  tremendous  wild  shout 
of  joy  rang  through  the  woods.  What  a  pile  of  game 
there  was !  The  mouths  of  the  Apingi  extended  from 
ear  to  ear,  and  showed  their  sharp-pointed,  filed  teeth. 
They  were  right  glad  of  the  prospect  of  a  good  supper. 

It  was  agreed  that  the  game  should  be  divided  that 
evening  among  us.  Remandji  and  I  were  to  superin- 
tend the  distribution.  Of  course,  in  that  part  of  the 
world,  it  would  not  have  done  to  give  to  each  an  equal 
share,  for  it  would  have  been  against  the  customs  of  the 
people.  So  we  gave  only  to  the  heads  of  the  families, 
and  these  were  to  divide  the  meat,  according  to  their 
own  will  and  pleasure,  among  the  younger  retainers, 
nephews,  sons,  and  cousins,  as  they  should  thiuk  best. 
The  head  of  a  family  is  thought  a  great  deal  of  in  that 
wild  part  of  the  world. 

With  Eemandji's  people  and  mine  there  was  no  quar- 
reling ;  but,  my  goodness !  I  wish  you  could  have  heard 
the  Apingi  quarreling  among  themselves.  Kot  one  of 
them  w^as  satisfied  with  his  share.  Every  one  thought 
that  his  neighbor  had  a  better  share  than  himself.  Of 
course  the  heads  of  families  took  the  lion's  share.  Re- 
mandji and  myself  each  took  a  whole  boar.  These  black 
boars  are  not  so  large  as  the  yellow  ones  I  have  described 
to  you  in  former  volumes,  and  are  far  from  being  so 
nice-looking. 

AYe  slept  that  night  where  we  had  divided  the  game. 
The  forest  was  full  of  the  smell  of  roasted  meat,  for 
there  was  not  a  man  there  who  thought  that  his  wife 
would  be  glad  to  have  a  piece  of  his  meat.  Women, 
they  think,  must  eat  when  their  husbands  are  not  hun- 
gry, and  the  cliildren  when  the  mothers  are  satisfied. 


THE  MEN  MUST  EAT  FIJiST. 


4:3 


The  wives  never  eat  with  their  husbands,  and  it  is  but 
seldom,  if  ever,  that  growu-up  sons  and  nephews  eat  with 
their  fathers  and  uncles.  They  are  supposed  to  be  too 
young,  and  it  would  not  be  considered  respectful  for 
them  to  eat  with  their  elders.  So  that  what  is  left  of  a 
meal  tlie  wives  eat,  and  what  the  wives  leave  the  children 
eat ;  if  there  is  nothing  for  them,  they  must  do  the  best 
they  can  to  find  food,  or  go  hungry,  as  they  like  best. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DEPARTUEE    TO    VISIT    MY    DOMINIONS. PKECEDED    BY    ONE 

HUNDRED    HORN-MEN. FOLLOWED    BY   MY    HOUSEKEEPER. 

WAR    MUST    NOT    TAKE    PLACE. 1    GET    IN    A    FURIOUS 

RAGE. HAPPY  DENOUEMENT. 

The  day  after  my  return  from  our  hunting  expedition, 
I  thought  it  was  time  for  me  to  visit  the  villages  belong- 
ing to  the  country  over  which  I  had  been  made  king ;  so 
1  spoke  to  Remandji,  who  was,  if  I  may  use  the  expres- 
sion, my  minister,  or  major  general,  and  the  people  were 
ordered  to  get  ready  to  start  the  next  day. 

I  wanted  to  learn  the  resources  of  the  country;  see 
what  the  people  could  do,  what  they  manufactured,  and 
what  the  agricultural  productions  were,  and  thus  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  sort  of  commerce  to  which  the 
country  was  best  adapted.  I  must  explore  the  forests  to 
find  out  what  precious  woods  they  contained,  and  if  we 
could  obtain  valuable  gums  and  minerals  for  our  market. 
It  was  arranged  that  I  should  leave  with  a  large  retinue 
of  followers.  My  procession  was  to  be  headed  by  a  band 
of  more  than  one  hundred  horn-men.  The  natives  are 
very  fond  of  blowing  these  horns,  and  many  of  them 
have  been  handed  down  from  father  to  son  for  several 
generations.  They  are  from  one  to  two  feet  in  length, 
and  are  m.ade  of  the  horns  of  an  antelope  called  the  kam- 
bi.     Tlie  kambi  is  a  species  of  antelope,  of  a  gray  color, 


ArPEAEAyCE  OF  THE  UORX-MEX. 


45 


with  whitish  stripes  on  the 
sides.  The  full-grown  spec- 
imens are  almost  as  large 
as  a  cow.  The  business  of 
the  horn-men  was  to  sound 
the  horn  whenever  we  ap- 


'JliK    lil.OAl.Mi    OF    KA.MlJl    lHjK>b. 


proached  a  village,  in  order  to  let  the  people  know  I  was 
coming.  All  the  horn-men  were  painted  with  yellow, 
red,  and  white  ochre,  and  covered  with  their  fetiches. 
Remandji  himself  was  to  be  followed  by  almost  all  his 
sons  and  many  of  his  wives.  They  also  were  all  covered 
with  fetiches,  and  all  invoked  tlie  Spirit  of  the  Alumhi 
to  be  with  them. 

Remandji  insisted   that  I  should  take   my   splendid 


46  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

housekeeper  with  me,  whose  hkeness  you  saw  in  my  last 
vohime.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  she  must  take  care  of  you  ; 
she  has  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  get  your  food  ready,  to 
watch  over  you,  to  drive  the  flies  away  during  your  sleep, 
to  fetch  water  for  you,  and  to  scratch  your  head  when 
you  want  it  done."  I  did  not  like  the  insinuation  in  the 
last  part  of  Remandji's  speech,  and  I  said  to  him,  "You 
know  very  well  that  I  have  nothing  on  my  head." 

"  But  you  know,"  replied  Eemandji,  "  that  it  would  be 
a  disgrace  to  me  if  she  did  not  follow  you."  So  I  gave 
way  at  last  to  the  earnest  entreaties  of  Remandji,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  my  housekeeper  should  follow  me.  It 
was  of  no  use  for  me  to  fight  against  it.  I  could  not  get 
rid  of  her. 

The  following  morning  there  was  a  great  stir  in  the 
village,  for  we  were  all  prepared  to  start.  As  I  was  get- 
ting read}'^,  what  should  I  see  but  my  beautiful  house- 
keeper. She,  too,  w^as  ready,  and  was  bound  not  to  let  us 
go  Mdthout  her.  The  order  for  departure  at  length  ar- 
rived. I  wore  on  my  shoulder  my  emblem  of  royalty 
(the  "kendo"),  of  which  I  gave  you  a  description  and  pic- 
ture in  my  last  volume.  I  was  followed  by  Eemandji. 
I  took  the  kendo  from  my  shoulder,  and  rang  it.  There 
was  a  dead  silence  at  once,  and  then  a  wild  shout,  "  The 
Spirit,  our  king,  is  going  to  speak !"  rung  through  the  vil- 
lage. In  order  to  impress  them  Math  awe,  I  flred  two 
guns,  loaded  with  tremendous  charges  of  jDowder,  which 
made  a  very  loud  report.  Then,  taking  hold  of  my  re- 
volvers, I  fired  and  fired  in  the  air.  The  Apingi  fell 
upon  the  ground,  filled  with  fear.'.  Eemandji  bowed 
down  in  front  of  me,  and  looked  me  steadily  in  the  face. 
The  people  all  at  once  began  to  sing, "Oh  Spirit,  oh 


THE  WARRIORS  ASD  HORX-MEX.  4.7 

Spirit,  thou  art  our  king.  Oh  Spirit,  oh  Spirit,  M'e  never 
saw  thee  before.  Oh  Spirit,  oh  Spirit,  do  not  send  dis- 
ease and  deatli  among  lis.  Oh  Spirit,  all  the  beasts  of 
the  forest  will  c;ome  to  thee !  Oh  Spirit,  now  thou  art 
going  to  "^"isit  all  the  Apingi  land.  Oh  Spii-it,  wq  say 
good-bv  to  thee  !  Oh  Spirit,  oh  Spirit,  we  will  wait  for 
tliee.  Kemandji  goes  with  thee — take  care  of  him.  Many 
of  our  people  go  with  thee — oh  take  care  of  them  all," 
Then  the  horns  blew  again,  and  what  a  noise  they  made  i 
And  vdth  the  drums  beating  in  the  village,  we  soon  dis- 
appeared in  the  forest,  amid  the  wild  shouts  of  the  peo- 
ple that  had  remained  behind.  Forty  Apingi  warriors, 
armed  with  spears,  took  the  lead,  then  the  horn-men,  and 
immediately  after  came  Remandji  and  myself,  followed 
by  the  women,  and  also  some  warriors  as  a  rear-guard. 

It  was  easy  to  see  that  we  were  not  going  on  a  hunt- 
ing expedition. 

After  walking  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  horn-men 
again  began  to  blow  their  horns,  and  a  ^^^ld  Apingr  shout 
followed  up.  We  were  approaching  a  village.  Soon  we 
came  in  sight  of  it,  and  then  all  the  horn-men  sounded 
the  horns,  and  all  the  party  shouted, "  The  great  Spirit  is 
coming  to  you,  Remandji  is  with  him.  Be  not  afraid." 
When  we  came  to  the  village  there  was  not  a  sonl  in  sight. 
The  people  had  all  gone  inside  of  their  houses.  They 
were  afraid  till  the  voice  of  Itcmandji  bade  them  take 
courage,  and  then,  one  by  one,  they  came  out.  In  the 
mean  time  I  went  to  the  ouandja,  and  there  waited.  I 
fired  two  guns  to  announce  my  arrival.  In  the  mean  time 
the  people  had  all  assembled  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
village,  but  as  soon  as  they  heard  the  guns  they  l)cnt  them- 
selves low,  and,  in  a  hopping  sort  of  a  way.  they  advanced 


48  MY  APIXGI  KEsGD  OM. 

toward  me,  singing  songs  of  praise.  They  earned  their 
huge  idol  with  them  ;  and  finally,  when  they  came  quite 
close,  they  put  the  Mbuiti  ("  idol")  before  me,  and  said  to  it, 
"  Look  at  the  Spirit !  Behold,  look  at  the  Spirit !  Look, 
look  at  our  king !"  This  idol  was  the  imitation  of  a  man, 
and  had  been  carved  from  a  very  large  piece  of  wood. 
My  goodness  gracious  !  it  did  look  ugly  enough. 

Then  pr^^nts  of  food  were  brought  before  me,  plant- 
ains, bananas,  pine-apples,  pea-nuts,  fowls,  dried  fish,  and 
a  goat. 

Remandji  seemed  to  be  in  his  glory.  At  night  a  grand 
ball  was  given  in  my  honor,  but,  being  somewhat  weary, 
I  retired  early,  for  in  the  morning  a  great  palaver  was 
to  take  place,  and  I  was  to  settle  it. 

Early  the  next  morning  I  seated  myself  under  a  very 
large  tree  to  receive  the  people  of  the  village  and  hear 
the  palaver.  After  a  while  the  village  drums  began  to 
beat.  The  drummers  were  at  the  other  end  of  the  vil- 
lage. Afterward  the  people  began  to  sing,  and  at  last  I 
saw  a  crowd  coming  toward  me.  In  the  mean  time  Re- 
mandji  had  made  his  appearance,  accompanied  by  the 
hundred  horn-men,  who  began  to  blow  their  horns,  so 
that,  between  the  noise  of  the  tam-tam  and  the  music  of 
the  homs,  I  found  myself  in  not  a  very  quiet  place.  The 
chief  of  the  village  then  came  before  me,  followed  by  for- 
ty-three girls.  He  talked  to  Remandji,  and  said  that  he 
was  so  glad  the  Spirit  had  come  to  see  him.  Like  the 
otlier  chiefs  with  Remandji,  he  had  made  him  their  king. 
He  himself  was  poor.  He  had  not  many  things  to  give 
away,  as  the  Spirit  had,  like  the  sand.  The  black  man  is 
poor.  He  has  only  plenty  to  eat,  and  his  coat — pointing 
to  mine — is  his  own  skin.     Then,  turning  himself  to- 


1  FIRE  A  OUX  IJSf  TEE  AIR.  49 

ward  me,  he  said,  "  Here  are  forty-three  nice  girls.  Some 
of  them  are  my  daughters,  others  are  nieces,  others  are 
my  childreus'  children,  and  some  are  the  children  of  the 
big  men  of  ray  village.  Take  them,  Spirit ;  we  give  them 
all  to  thee  to  be  thy  wives."  There  was  a  tremendous 
shout  of  approbation.  Immediately  the  drums  began  to 
beat,  the  men  began  to  blow  their  horns,  and  the  people 
began  to  dance  round  me,  and  they  danced  and  danced 
till  I  thought  they  must  be  crazy.  Old  Eemandji  him- 
self  got  so  excited  that  he  could  not  withstand  the  tempts 
ation,  and,  getting  on  his  feet,  he  cut  up  any  amount  of 
capers.  The  whole  village  was  w^ild  with  excitement. 
Single  pei-sons  would  come  and  speak  to  me  before  the 
people  with  a  sonorous  voice,  but  I  could  not  understand 
what  they  said.  At  last  I  fired  a  gun  into  the  air.  In 
an  instant  all  became  quiet,  and  I  said, "  Apingi,  I  will 
sleep  in  many  of  your  villages ;  I  will  eat  plantains 
with  you,  for  I  want  you  to  remember  me,  for  you  made 
me  your  king.  Now  go  away  to  your  houses.  When  the 
sun  will  go  down,  when  the  heat  of  the  day  will  have 
passed  away,  you  will  come  back  under  this  big  tree,  and 
if  you  have  any  palaver.  Reman dji  and  I  will  talk  about 
it."  The  people  at  once  scattered.  I  wondered  what  there 
was  in  me  to  fill  these  poor  people  with  so  much  wonder 
and  astonishment,  and  I  thanked  a  kind  Providence  that 
took  such  great  care  of  me,  and  that  had  directed  my 
steps  in  such  a  manner  that  I  could  safely  visit  countries 
that  had  never  been  seen  before  by  civilized  man. 

To  my  utter  astonishment,  when  the  people  went  away, 
the  forty-three  girls  did  not  move.  I  remembered  that  I 
had  not  said  a  word  about  them.  It  was  evident  they 
considered  themselves  my  M'ives,  as  they  had  been  given 

C 


50  il^  APINQI  EINQD OM. 

away  to  me.  Woman  in  that  country  has  no  will  of  her 
own ;  her  father,  uncles,  and  other  male  members  of  her 
family  have  to  guide  her  and  tell  her  what  to  do ;  so,  if  I 
was  willing,  they  were  to  belong  to  me.  While  I  was 
thinking  it  over  they  all  got  into  a  quarrel,  as  the  old 
housekeeper  insisted  on  being  the  head  of  them  all,  and 
I  wandered  away,  leaving  them  to  settle  the  dispute 
among  themselves. 

When  I  returned  to  my  seat  under  the  big  tree  in  the 
afternoon,  tlie  women  were  still  there  waiting  for  me, 
just  as  I  had  left  them  in  the  morning.  The  quarrel  was 
not  settled,  and  the  old  housekeeper  was  still  cross  and 
ugly.  Then  the  villagers  came  about  me  again,  I  said 
to  them,  "  I  must  go.  I  have  slept  in  your  village  one 
night,  and  now  I  must  go  to  see  other  villages."  But 
the  people,  as  soon  as  they  heard  me,  shouted,  "  Spirit, 
do  not  go  away  !  Spirit,  do  not  go  away !"  I  rang  my 
kendo  as  loud  as  I  could  to  make  them  quiet,  and,  when 
silence  was  restored,  told  them  that  if  there  was  trouble 
among  them,  if  there  was  quarreling  and  palavers  to  set- 
tle, they  must  come  to  me  and  to  Remandji,  with  the  old 
men  of  villages,  and  we  would  settle  them.  They  an- 
swered, "  Good  Spirit,  we  have  no  quarrel  just  now." 

Then  I  got  up,  and,  turning  to  the  horn-blowers,  I  or- 
dered them  to  blow  the  signal  for  our  departure.  The 
horns  sounded,  and  I  was  ready  to  start  for  a  village  not 
far  away.  A  short  walk  would  take  us  there.  But  here 
a  sad  dilemma  arose.  "  Oh  Spirit,"  said  the  chief  to 
me,  "  take  all  of  thy  wives  with  thee ;  they  will  follow 
thee  through  the  Apingi  country,"  And  all  the  women 
began  to  sing,  "  AYe  will  follow  the  good  Spirit  through 
the  Apingi  country ;  we  will  prepare  food  for  him ;  we 


MT FORTY-THREE  COOES.  51 

will  catch  fish  for  him ;  we  will  fetch  water  for  him  ;  we 
will  get  wild  berries  for  him !"  And  so  they  went  on 
singing,  and  I  tliought  I  was  merely  going  to  have  forty- 
three  cooks  to  accompany  me,  for  it  seemed  as  if  I  could 
never  get  rid  of  them.  But  at  last  I  pacified  them  by 
distributing  a  great  number  of  trifling  presents  among 
them,  and  then  took  my  departure  amidst  great  cheer- 
ing. I  had  not  proceeded  far  on  my  route  to  the  next 
village,  however,  when,  turning  round,  I  saw,  to  my  great 
consternation,  that  we-  were  followed  by  the  forty-three 
women,  and  many  warriors  besides ! 

After  walking  about  an  hour  I  came  to  a  queer  vil- 
lage. There  were  very  many  huts,  and  the  walls  of  these 
were  built  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and  the  roofs  were  thatch- 
ed with  palm  leaves.  There  were  no  windows,  and  only 
one  door  to  each  hut ;  they  were  all  built  alike,  about  ten 
feet  long,  and  only  seven  or  eight  feet  broad.  The  na- 
tives had  been  expecting  us,  and  welcomed  me  with  the 
sounds  of  drums,  and  with  wild  Apingi  shouts.  It  was 
a  big  village,  built  in  a  single  street.  The  name  of  the 
old  man  who  was  chief  over  the  village  was  Andeko.  I 
went  to  bed  very  early,  for  I  was  tired,  and  the  noise 
they  had  made  was  so  great.  There  was  a  dead  silence 
during  the  night,  for  it  was  announced  that  the  Spirit 
was  tired,  and  wanted  to  rest. 

Early  the  next  morning  I  was  awakened  by  wild  shouts 
of  war.  I  jumped  from  my  couch,  and,  with  my  gun  in 
hand,  came  out,  looking  as  fierce  as  I  could.  I  exclaim- 
ed, "Apingi,  what  do  you  meaii  ?  There  must  be  no  war 
amoiig  yourselves.  Woe  to  the  man  who  brings  on  war 
in  the  Apingi  countr}%  for  I  will  slay  liim.  I  will  kill 
him  as  sure  as  I  kill  that  bird."     For,  luckily,  just  as  I 


52  MT  APINGI  KINGDOM. 

was  speaking,  a  bird  flew  near  the  hut  where  I  stood,  and 
gave  me  the  chance  to  impress  the  natives  ^vith  a  sense 
of  my  skill  and  power.  I  shot  it  flying,  and  it  fell  stone- 
dead  just  at  the  feet  of  the  chief  Andeko.  A  wild  shout 
of  fear  was  heard  tlirough  the  crowd,  and  many  fled  from 
me.  "  How  can  it  be,"  they  said, "  that  birds  flying  high 
in  the  sky  should  fall  dead  at  our  chief's  feet  when  the 
great  Spirit  lets  the  thunder  that  he  holds  in  his  hands 
(meaning  my  gun)  make  a  noise  ?"  And  then  they  sung, 
"  Big  Spirit,  do  not  be  angry.  We  do  not  want  to  make 
war.  Some  people  want  to  make  war  upon  us."  I  look- 
ed fierce,  and,  taking  one  of  my  revolvers  in  one  hand,  I 
fired  and  fired  until  the  crowd  shouted,  "•  Spirit,  our  king, 
be  not  angry ;  Spirit,  our  king,  do  not  kill  the  Apingi 
people." 

Turning  to  Remandji,  I  said, "  There  must  be  no  war. 
I  must  know  the  cause  of  this  trouble."  Then  1  rang 
my  kendo,  and  ordered  the  people  to  come  before  me 
and  I  would  liear  the  palaver. 

They  came,  and  brought  before  me  a  beautiful  black 
girl ;  that  is,  she  was  beautiful  for  that  country.  I  do 
not  think  you  would  say  she  was  very  handsome,  for  her 
teeth  were  filed  into  sharp  points,  and  she  was  tattooed 
all  over,  Apingi  fashion.  She  was  young,  only  about 
fourteen  years  of  age.  Then  they  brought  to  her  side  a 
young  man  about  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
nephew  of  the  king.  The  young  girl  had  fled  from  her 
own  village  one  dark  evening,  in  the  midst  of  a  tremen- 
dous rain-storm,  and  had  come  to  this  village.  The  name 
of  the  girl  was  Mishono,  and  the  nephew  of  the  king 
was  called  ISTgooloo-Gani. 

I  eyed  Mishono  and  Ngooloo-Gani  with  a  look  which 


A  qUEER  CEBEMOXT.  53 

told  them  plainly  that  there  could  be  no  war  on  this  oc- 
casion. Wliile  they  stood  before  me  they  trembled  all 
over. 

Then  the  king  said,  "  Oh  Spirit,  in  our  land,  when  a 
girl  runs  away  from  a  village  and  comes  to  another,  that 
village  can  not  give  her  back  without  feeling  shame.  In 
the  Apingi  country  we  never  give  back  a  woman  that 
comes  to  us.  In  her  village,  they  want  her  to  marry 
somebody  she  does  not  like,  and  she  lo\es  my  nephew, 
and  she  thought  she  would  rather  run  away  than  to  go 
and  marry  w^here  she  does  not  want.  She  has  hola 
lo?igo, '  put  her  hand  on  my  head,'  and  you  know  this  is 
our  way  of  claiming  protection ;  and  how  can  I,  without 
shame,  give  her  back?"  And  the  people  all  shouted, 
"  How  can  w^e,  without  shame,  give  her  back  ?" 

This  custom  of  adoption  is  a  singular  one,  and  pre- 
vails in  all  this  part  of  Africa.  Wlien  a  man  or  woman 
runs  away  to  another  village,  the  first  thing  they  have  to 
do  is  to  put  themselves  under  the  protection  of  some 
man.  So,  when  they  reach  the  place  Avhere  they  want  to 
stay,  they  go  to  the  man  and  put  their  hands  upon  his 
head,  and  this  ceremony  is  called  hola  hongo.  Plence- 
forth  they  belong  to  the  man,  and  he  is  bomid  to  protect 
them.  You  will  agree  with  me  that  this  is  a  singidar 
custom. 

I  questioned  the  girl,  and  she  said,  while  tears  rolled 
down  her  cheeks,  "  Spirit,  I  am  afraid  of  thee.  Oh,  why 
did  not  I  die  the  day  I  was  born !  Now  I  do  not  want 
to  marry  the  man  my  people  want  me  to  marry.  Wom- 
en, oil  Spirit,  are  shame  in  this  country,  and  can  be  given 
away  like  goats  and  wild  game,  for  our  laws  are  such 
that  her  people  do  not  ask  whom  she  wants  to  marry. 


54  MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 

She  is  even  given  away  again  after  her  husband  is  dead. 
After  her  time  of  mourning  is  past  slie  has  no  choice, 
but  must  marry  his  brother,  whether  she  likes  him  or 
not.  If  she  does  not,  she  had  better  not  tell  it,  for  she  is 
flogged,  and  her  body  is  torn  with  the  whip.  No,  Spir- 
it, I  do  not  want  to  marry  the  man  my  people  wants  me 
to.  I  had  rather  be  killed  or  be  eaten  up  by  the  wild 
beasts.  I  do  not  want  to  go  back."  When  she  stopped 
speaking  the  people  shouted, "  We  do  not  want  to  send 
her  back,  for  shame  would  be  upon  us  if  we  did  ;  all  the 
other  villages  would  laugh  at  us,  and  call  us  '  chickens.' 
We  do  not  want  to  be  called  chickens." 

"  Oh  Spirit,"  said  Mishono  to  me, "  oh  Spirit,  do  not 
be  angry  !"  and  the  people  also  cried, "  Oh  Spirit,  do  not 
be  angry !  do  not  be  angry !" 

This  was  certainly  a  very  complicated  palaver,  and  in 
this  part  of  Africa  such  things  always  bring  on  war.  I 
wanted  to  avert  war,  and  at  the  same  time  I  had  to  give 
a  just  verdict.  So  I  called  Ngooloo-Gani,  and  said  to 
him, "  What  have  you  to  say  for  yourself  ?"  "  Spirit,"  said 
he,  "  this  girl  wants  to  marry  me.  She  has  run  away 
from  her  village,  and  has  hola  longo  on  the  head  of  our 
chief,  and  it  would  be  a  great  shame  for  our  people  to 
give  her  back,  for  we  never  do  such  a  thing  in  the  Apingi 
country ;  but  in  the  moon,  where  you  come  fi-om,  you 
may  have  other  fashions.  Oh  Spirit,  do  not  be  angry ! 
Do  not  kill  me !"  Then  the  poor  fellow  kneeled  down 
and  got  hold  of  my  feet,  which  is,  as  you  know,  the 
most  imploring  way  of  asking  a  great  favor  in  the  region 
of  Equatorial  Africa. 

I  got  up,  and  immediately  ordered  some  Apingi  to  go 
and  tell  the  people  of  the  ^•illage  where  the  girl  came 


THREE  HUXDRED  MEN  TAKE  THE  WARPATH.  55 

fruui,  to  come  iustauth'  to  see  nie.  I  wanted  to  see  tlie 
chief  and  the  leading  men,  and  I  said,  in  order  that  they 
might  not  he  afraid, "  Two  of  you  must  remain  in  their 
village."  So  they  went,  and,  as  the  village  was  not  very 
far  off,  thev  came  back  in  less  than  two  houi-s,  but  with 
no  one  with  them.  The  answer  was  that  they  did  not 
want  to  talk  the  palaver.  On  receiving  this  message  I 
rose  to  my  feet,  and,  m  a  very  loud  tone  of  voice,  began 
to  speak  in  all  the  languages  I  knew — Apingi,  Ashira. 
Commi,  French,  English,  etc.  I  was  very  fierce.  Oh, 
how  they  stared  at  me !  "  They  dare  me,"  I  exclaimed. 
"  They  won't  come  when  I  bid  them  come !"  I  fired  off 
my  gun,  I  brandished  it  in  the  air,  I  flourished  my  re- 
volver, I  then  rang  my  kendo,  and  told  Remandji  to  pre- 
pare for  a  fight.  Then  I  ordered  the  people  of  the  ^il- 
lage  to  go  and  fetch  their  spears,  their  battle-axes,  and 
their  bows  and  arrows,  and  their  war-drums.  The  horns 
sounded  the  war  tunes;  messengers  were  sent  to  Re- 
mand ji's  village  for  more  men  to  come.  The  idol  was 
brought  out,  the  men  painted  themselves  and  covered 
themselves  with  fetiches.  "  Onward,  xYpiugi !  onward 
for  that  village !"  I  shouted.  Over  three  hundred  men 
took  the  war-path.  I  led  the  way,  and,  as  they  followed, 
they  sang  their  war-songs,  and  brandished  their  spears 
and  their  knives.  When  m'c  approached  the  villages  the 
war-sonjrs  were  suno-  louder  and  louder,  and  the  w^arriors 
became  more  exasperated.  I  was  glad  to  see  this,  be- 
cause I  wanted  to  make  an  example.  As  we  came  near- 
er I  heard  tlie  war-drums  in  the  village,  and  the  peo]:)lo 
shouting.  I  fired  a  gun  into  the  air  as  I  entered  the  vil- 
lage. I  had  put  in  a  tremendous  charge,  and  it  went  off 
with  a  fearful  detonation.     The  recoil  was  so  great  that 


56  -^Y  APINQI  KINGDOM. 

it  almost  knocked  me  down.  The  detonation  resounded 
from  hill  to  hill,  and  carried  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the 
timid  villagers,  who,  at  sight  of  us,  retreated  to  the  far- 
ther end,  from  which  position  they  fled  as  we  approach- 
ed. But  I  told  Remandji  to  shout  to  them  not  to  be 
afraid.  I  did  not  come  to  kill  them ;  they  had  made  me 
their  king.  I  was  their  father,  A  father  did  not  kill 
iliis  children  unless  the  children  wanted  to  make  war. 
So  Remandji  shouted, "  The  Spirit  bids  you  come.  He 
does  not  want  to  kill  you  unless  3'ou  dare  to  make  war 
upon  us.  He  comes  to  talk  the  palaver  over  the  girl  that 
ran  away." 

They  had  all  fled,  but  at  last  the  chief  came  again ;  for 
I  sent  word  that  if  he  did  not  come  I  would  burn  his  vil- 
lage. He  was  followed  by  his  head  wife.  I  went  to- 
ward him.  On  looking  at  him,  I  recognized  him  as  one 
who  had  brought  me  food,  and  had  been  my  friend. 
Round  his  neck  he  wore  the  beads  which  I  had  given 
him,  and  as  bracelets  he  wore  two  brass  rings  which  I 
had  also  given  him.  I  went  up  to  him,  I  shook  hands 
with  him,  and  told  him  not  to  be  afraid,  but  to  call  his 
people  together,  as  I  had  come  to  hold  a  palaver.  So  he 
went  away,  and  a  little  while  afterward  came  back  with 
his  people.  We  went  under  the  big  ouandja,  and,  after 
every  body  had  seated  himself,  Remandji  got  up,  and, 
addressing  himself  to  the  people,  said, "  The  Spirit  want- 
ed to  come  and  see  you  in  peace,  and  you  have  threaten- 
ed to  make  war.  But  it  is  a  good  thing  that  you  did  not 
make  war,  for  you  would  have  been  all  killed  by  this 
time.  By  the  breath  of  his  nostrils  he  would  have  sent 
death  unto  you  all.  You  know  that  many  of  your  daugh- 
ters, sisters,  and  nieces  are  married  in  our  villages,  and 


A  MAMMIAGE  PALAVEIL  57 

that  war  between  ourselves  must  not  take  place,  for 
there  are  not  two  villages  in  the  whole  tribe  that  are 
more  friendly  with  each  other  than  yours  and  ours.  The 
Spirit  and  I  have  held  the  palaver  this  morning.  You 
know  that  one  of  the  girls  of  our  ^dllage  is  soon  to  mar- 
ry a  man  of  yours."  Here  Remandji  called  the  man. 
He  proved  to  be  an  old  man,  and  I  wondered  why  he 
wanted  to  marry.  He  was  very  ugly-looking.  Half  of 
his  file-teeth  had  dropped  out,  and  what  were  left  were 
very  black  and  dirty.  Eemandji  went  on :  "  Well,  we  will 
ask  no  dowry  for  that  girl — no  more  slaves,  no  more 
goats,  and  no  more  things.  So  the  palaver  will  be  set- 
tled, and  Mishono  will  remain  with  ISTgooloo  -  Gani." 
There  was  a  tremendous  shout  of  "  Yo !  yo !  yo !"  which 
meant  "  Yes,  that  is  so." 

So  this  offer  was  accepted  at  once,  for  the  parents  of  the 
gii-1  in  Remandji's  village  wanted  from  the  old  fellow  I 
have  just  described  to  you  two  sla%'es,  three  goats,  ten 
fowls,  five  cooking-dishes,  three  water-jars,  five  spears, 
and  three  large  knives,  before  they  would  give  away 
their  daughter.  So  the  people  thought  they  had  made  a 
splendid  bargain. 

Immediately  the  two  contending  parties  separated  to 
a  distance  of  about  forty  yards,  then  advanced  with  their 
spears  in  hand  toward  each  other,  just  as  if  they  were 
going  to  fig] it,  uttering,  at  the  same  time,  fierce  Apingi 
shouts  till  they  met ;  then  the  spears  came  down,  the  war- 
drums  beat,  the  horns  blew,  the  palaver  was  over,  and  T 
had  stopped  the  threatened  war.  Then  I  presented  the 
king  with  a  waistcoat,  which  he  wore  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  vociferous  cheers  of  his  people.  Tliat  night 
there  was  a  tremendous  jollification  in  the  real  old  Apin- 

C2 


58 


MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 


gi  style.     A  war-dance,  and  then  all  was  over, 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  all  had  become  silent 


Toward 
The 

people  had  all  returned,  and  nothing  was  to  be  heard 
except  now  and  then  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  and  the 
wild  cries  of  hyenas  lurking  romid  in  the  forest.  As  I 
came  out,  as  usual,  to  make  an  inspection  of  every  thing 
round  me,  all  was  quiet,  tlie  sky  was  beautifully  clear, 
and  the  southern  stars  were  shining  in  all  their  glory. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  HUNT  m  CANOES. AN  ANTELOPE  PUESUED. — I  AM  NEAR- 
LY CAPSIZED. — lOLLING  OF  THE  ANTELOPE. — KETUKN  TO 
THE  VILLAGE. 

The  palaver  being  settled  to  the  great  joy  of  every 
body,  the  people  said  I  must  leave  to  hunt  with  the 
dogs,  as  antelopes  had  been  seen  the  last  few  days  on 
the  neighboring  plantations.  So,  early  in  the  morning, 
all  the  dogs  of  the  village  were  collected  together,  and  a 
number  of  hunters  from  other  villages  had  also  come 
with  their  dogs.  We  had  altogether  more  than  twenty 
dogs  in  the  pack,  and  anticipated  a  very  exciting  time. 
The  Apingi  forming  the  hunting  party  were  armed  with 
spears.  As  soon  as  the  party  was  ready,  we  set  out  for 
a  plantation  not  far  from  the  bank  of  a  river  or  creek, 
which  ran  near  the  village,  and  where  antelopes  were 
supposed  to  be  quite  plentiful.  The  little  canoes  of  the 
Apingi  w^ere  in  readiness,  with  paddles  in,  at  different 
places  on  the  riv^r  bank,  for  it  was  supposed  that  some 
of  the  antelopes  would  be  driven  into  the  water  by  the 
dogs. 

So  we  started,  Remandji  and  the  villagers  wishing  us 
good  luck.  We  tramped  away  through  the  jungle,  and 
in  less  than  an  hour  reached  a  plantation  of  cassada  (ma- 
nioc), the  leaves  of  which  antelopes  and  gazelles  are  very 
fond  of.     This  plantation  was  not  far  fi-om  the  river. 


GO  ^i^Y  APINOI  EINGD OM. 

The  dogs  started  off,  and  soon  we  heard  them  barking. 
The  barking  became  loud  and  eager ;  it  came  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  we  knew  the  dogs  must  be  after  an  antelope. 
They  were  evidently  making  toward  the  river,  near  which 
our  party  was  posted.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost. 
We  must  hurry  to  the  river  side,  and  enter  the  canoe,  to 
be  ready  in  case  the  animal  should  plunge  into  the  wa^ 
ter  to  escape  to  the  other  side.  I  tell  you,  we  went 
double-quick.  Hollo !  hollo  !  a  cry  of  j)ain  escaped  from 
me,  for  the  prickly  branches  of  a  long,  thorny  brier  were 
round  my  leg.  In  my  eagerness  to  go  fast,  I  did  not 
perceive  it  until  it  tore  my  pantaloons,  and  some  of  the 
thorns  stuck  into  my  legs.  At  last  I  got  clear  of  it 
and  hurried  on.  Okabi  followed  me  closely.  We  soon 
came  to  the  banks  of  the  river.  A  superb  antelope,  with 
a  magnificent  pair  of  horns,  was  already  in  the  water, 
and  the  infuriated  dogs  were  after  her.  The  last  of  the 
pack  were  just  plunging  in,  and  those  that  were  in  the 
water  were  swimming  as  fast  as  they  could  in  pursuit. 
Three  canoes  were  already  in  the  water,  the  Apingi  pad- 
dling as  fast  as  they  could  toward  the  antelope.  I  jumped 
into  a  canoe  with  Okabi  so  impatiently  that  I  almost  lost 
my  equilibrium.  The  canoe  rocked  from  side  to  side, 
and  for  a  moment  I  thought  it  was  all  over  with  me,  and 
that  I  was  going  to  be  upset,  gun  and  all,  into  the  water, 
which,  by  the  way,  was  very  deep  there.  Then  good-b}' 
to  my  hunting  for  that  day.  Okabi  uttered  a  loud  cry, 
in  the  hope,  I  suppose,  of  averting  the  danger.  But  the 
little  canoe  became  steady  once  more,  and  I  seated  my- 
self on  the  bottom.  It  was  an  old  affair,  and  leaked  like 
an  old  basket,  and  having  no  seat,  I  got  very  uncomfort- 
ably wet.    JSTever  mind,  I  thought,  the  antelope  is  ahead 


FUmOUS  CHASE  IX  A  UAXuE.  (JJ 

of  lis.  "  Hurry,  Okabi '/'  I  shouted.  "  Hurry  up !  we . 
must  catch  the  antelope !  We  must  kill  it ;  we  nmst 
carry  off  the  honors  of  the  hunt !"  Okabi  did  not  need 
any  pushing ;  he  felt  exactly  as  I  did,  and  we  both  pad- 
dled with  all  our  strength.  Three  spears  lay  ready  at 
the  bottom  of  the  canoe  by  my  side.  The  chase  became 
more  and  more  exciting ;  nearer  and  nearer  we  came  to 
the  antelope.  We  soon  passed  one  canoe,  but  two  were 
still  ahead  of  us,  and  these  were  not  far  from  the  ante- 
lope. "  Hurry,  Okabi !"  I  shouted.  The  fellow  paddled 
as  if  his  life  was  at  stake,  and  by  this  time  was  covered 
with  perspiration.  We  at  last  passed  the  two  canoes. 
We  were  ahead  of  every  body.  The  antelope,  which  had 
been  carried  by  the  current  down  the  river,  was  nearing 
the  shore.  As  soon  as  we  were  near  enough,  I  cried  out 
to  Okabi  to  stop.  He  obeyed,  steadying  the  canoe  with 
his  paddle.  I  took  up  my  gun,  and  aimed  at  the  ante- 
lope. There  was  danger  that,  if  I  missed  it,  I  might  kill 
one  of  the  dogs.  I  took  my  chance,  and  fired.  The 
ball  hit  the  antelope  in  the  right  place,  and  the  M-ater 
was  reddened  with  its  blood.  I  fired  again,  but  the  ca- 
noe rocked  a  little  just  as  I  pulled  the  trigger,  and  the 
ball  missed  the  mark.  By  this  time  the  antelope  had 
struggled  to  land,  but  as  it  came  out  of  the  water  it  drop- 
ped dead  on  the  bank.  The  excited  dogs  sprang  bark- 
ing about  the  body,  and  we  had  tlie  greatest  trouble  to 
drive  them  away. 

We  returned  to  the  village,  where  we  were  welcomed 
with  shouts  of  joy.  I  took  a  hind  quarter  for  my  share, 
and  gave  the  rest  to  Remandji  to  divide  among  his  peo- 
ple. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

BEAUTIFUL  SIGHT  OF  PALM-TEEES. HOW  PALM-OIL  IS  MANU- 

FACTUEED. — ITS  VALUE. INDIA-RUBBEE  VINES. — A  LEOP- 
ARD.— HE  IS  TEACKED. — TEERLBLE  SUSPENSE. — THE  LEOP- 
AED  IS  KILLED^ 

The  people  had  learned  that  I  wanted  no  war,  and 
promised  to  remain  peaceful.  I  left  the  village  the  next 
day,  and  continued  my  Journey  through  the  jungle,  vis- 
iting the  Apingi  villages,  and  at  the  same  time  studying 
the  natural  resources  of  the  country,  the  crowd  accom- 
panying me  increasing  all  the  time  as  I  passed  village 
after  village.  We  came  at  length  to  a  village  surround- 
ed with  immense  groves  of  palm-trees,  which,  indeed, 
were  scattered  all  over  the  forest  in  great  numbers. 
These  palm-trees  were  covered  with  large  bunches  of 
yellow  nuts,  from  which  palm-oil  is  derived,  which  forms, 
perhaps,  the  most  important  article  of  trade  on  the  west 
coast  of  Africa.  Knowing  it  to  be  very  abundant,  I  con- 
cluded that  a  good  trade  in  palm-oil  could  be  made  with 
the  Coast,  and  that,  if  it  was  conducted  on  the  right  prin- 
ciple, and  not  by  exchanging  oil  for  rum,  the  Apingi 
would  do  very  well.  So  I  fixed  my  head-quarters  in  a 
village  where  the  manufacture  of  palm-oil  was  carried  on 
on  a  large  scale,  the  inhabitants  selling  it  to  the  people  of 
all  the  other  villages.  It  is  used  very  extensively  among 
the  Afi-icans.     Every  woman  in  a  village  must  have  a 


GEO  VE  OF  PALM  OIL- TREES.  63 

little  calabash  of  palm-oil  to  make  her  toilet  with.  They 
rub  their  bodies  with  it,  it  is  used  as  a  kind  of  pomade 
for  their  hair,  and  they  use  it  as  we  do  butter  in  food. 
I  can  assure  you  that  the  heads  of  these  people  do  not 
smell  very  agreeably,  as  they  never  wash,  while  they 
keep  putting  palm-oil  on  their  hair  day  after  day,  month 
after  mouth,  year  after  year ;  the  fragrance  is  any  thing 
but  delightful. 

I  was  much  pleased  to  see  these  people  industrious  in 
the  manufacture  of  palm-oil.  Perhaps  you  would  like 
to  have  a  description  of  the  town  where  this  manufac- 
ture was  carried  on.  You  must  not  expect  to  hear  about 
huge  smoking  chimneys,  tall  buildings  with  a  great  num- 
ber of  windows,  and  a  great  many  men  and  women  at 
work. 

How  beautiful  is  the  sight  of  these  palm-trees  !  How 
tall  and  graceful  they  are,  and  how  splendid  their  fruit 
looks !  The  palm  -  trees  about  the  village  were  kept 
very  carefully,  and  were  never  destroyed,  for  every  year 
they  bore  fruits  which  brought  a  great  revenue  to  the 
village.  The  foi-est  was  filled  with  knots  of  women  seat- 
ed on  the  ground,  who  had  clubbed  together  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  oil.  After  it  had  been  manufac- 
tured they  divided  the  proceeds. 

Each  little  company  was  very  busy.  There  would  be 
seated  women  having  three  or  four  large  earthenware 
cooking-pots  filled  up  with  ])alm-oil  nuts,  which  they 
were  boiling.  After  being  tlioroughly  boiled,  these  were 
given  to  other  women,  who  had  before  tlicm  a  lai-ge 
wooden  mortar  some  five  or  six  feet  long,  about  twelve 
or  eighteen  inches  broad,  and  a  foot  deep,  made  of  a 
single  piece  of  wood.     Tlie  boiled  nuts  were  put  into 


64 


31 Y  APINOI  KINGDOM. 


these  mortars,  and  pounded 
by  the  women  with  heavy 
pestles  made  of  the  hardest 
kind  of  w^ood.  The  pahn- 
oil  nut  has  a  very  large  and 
heavy  kernel,  of  the  size  of 
our  walnuts,  which  is  very 
tliick,  and  exceedingly  hard, 
so  much  so  that  I  doubt  very 
much,  though  I  have  never 
tried  it,  whether  a  nut-crack- 
er could  break  it.  The  kernel 
is  covered  with  a  fibrous  pulp, 
which  is  about  the  fourth  or 
iifth  part  of  an  inch  thick, 
and  which  is  almost  literally 


It  is  hard,  but 


MAKING    PALM-OII-. 


2IANUFACTURE  OF  PALM-OIL.  g5 

when  the  nut  is  boiled  becomes  soft.  The  nuts  grow  in 
large  bimches,  and  each  palm-tree  bears  several  of  these 
bunches.  They  grow  near  the  trunk,  where  the  branches 
spring  out ;  and  the  nuts  are  very  close  together,  several 
hundred  of  them  growing  in  a  single  bunch. 

These  nuts  at  first  are  blackish,  then,  as  they  ripen,  and 
especially  on  the  side  toward  the  sun,  become  of  a  bright 
yellow,  from  which  the  palm-oil  derives  its  color. 

After  the  nuts  have  been  boiled  and  pounded,  the  oil 
is  put  into  another  cooking-pot,  and  then  put  over  the 
fire,  and  the  oil  allowed  to  boil  for  a  little  while.  They 
then  let  it  rest  and  cool,  and  then  carefully  pour  it  out, 
taking  great  care  not  to  disturb  the  dregs  at  the  bottom, 
which  is  chiefly  composed  of  the  fibres  of  the  nuts.  Then 
the  oil  is  put  carefully  in  little  calabashes  and  carried  to 
market. 

Tlie  men  take  but  a  small  share  in  the  work.  They 
have  only  to  climb  the  trees,  and  cut  off  the  bunches,  and 
bring  them  to  the  women.  The  nuts  are  picked  from 
the  bunches  before  boiling.  Before  they  have  attained 
their  full  growth,  these  nuts  have  thorny  points  at  the 
end.  They  are  not  round,  and  not  even  in  size  or  shape, 
on  account  of  being  pressed  against  each  other  closely 
while  growing  in  the  bunches. 

It  was  pleasant  to  see  these  people  hard  at  work,  and 
I  had  a  real  nice  time  with  them.  "When  niglit  came  on 
I  slept  in  the  midst  of  them  ;  and  one  of  the  men  came 
and  kindly  presented  me  with  two  fat  rats  for  my  dinner. 

But  I  could  see  at  a  glance  how  little  the  African 
trade  could  be  increased.  Here  was  a  re£i;ion  that  could 
have  little  or  no  trade  whatever  with  the  Coast,  for  there 
were  too  many  tribes  between  it  and  the  sea. 


QQ  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

How  cheap  was  the  oil!  A  few  beads  would  buy  a 
gallon  of  it,  A  factory  established  here  could  do  a  large 
if  not  very  profitable  business,  and  in  course  of  time  more 
ready  intercourse  might  be  established  with  the  Coast. 
The  business,  once  set  on  foot,  would  require  but  little 
care.  The  trees  bear  every  year,  and  the  only  thing  to 
be  done  w^ould  be  to  gather  the  nuts  and  make  the  oil  in 
the  manner  I  have  described. 

Palm-oil  has  always  a  ready  sale  in  civilized  countries. 
It  is  used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  soap,  can- 
dles, and  in  some  countries  of  Europe  it  is  used  instead 
of  tallow  to  grease  railway  and  carriage  wheels,  and  ma- 
chinery. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  there  is  in  the  kernel  of  the 
palm-nut  a  large  seed,  from  which  a  great  quantity  of  oil 
can  be  extracted. 

The  next  morning,  before  my  departure,  I  received 
presents  of  many  calabashes  of  oil. 

In  proceeding  to  another  village  I  saw  what  I  had  no- 
ticed before,  that  the  whole  forest  was  filled  with  India- 
rubber  vines.  As  the  vines  are  very  plentiful  in  these 
forests,  an  enormous  quantity  of  India-rubber  could  be 
extracted  from  them  in  the  manner  which  I  have  already 
described  to  you  in  Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country.  This 
misht  be  made  a  large  trade.  The  India-rubber  could 
be  bought  for  next  to  nothing,  and  the  profits  would  be 
enormous,  and  a  good  market  could  be  found.  So  here 
were  two  productions  which  the  Apingi  could  collect  in 
great  quantities.  There  were  also  immense  numbers  of 
ebony-trees,  the  wood  of  which  is  so  beautiful,  and  which 
could  be  exported  in  large  quantities,  if  we  could  only 
have  a  free  road  to  the  Coast. 


DISCO  VEMY  OF  LEOPARD- S  FOOTPEiyTS.  67 

That  night  we  were  to  sleep  in  the  forest ;  so,  before 
sunset,  we  built  a  large  camp  for  shelter.  But  there  was 
no  sleep  for  me ;  the  leopards  were  too  plentiful,  and 
their  dismal  and  ferocious  howls  resounding  not  far  from 
the  camp  told  me  that  we  had  better  keep  a  bright  look- 
out, I  forbade  any  one  to  move  out  of  the  light  of  the 
fires  during  the  night;  but  there  was  little  need  of  the 
caution,  as  they  knew  very  well  that  if  they  did  they 
would  never  come  back  to  the  camp.  The  next  day  I 
proposed  a'leopard-hunt.  The  next  morning,  when  I  got 
up,  and  said  we  must  find  the  lair  of  the  leopard,  the  peo- 
ple seemed  to  back  down ;  but  I  was  not  willing  to  give 
it  up,  as  the  leopards  were  evidently  not  far  from  us,  and 
their  lair  must  be  near  by.  I  wanted  only  four  Apingi 
to  go  with  me. 

So  I  called  four  of  the  warriors.  I  gave  two  guns  to 
them,  and  one  preferred  to  go  with  his  war  spears. 

After  a  while  we  came  to  the  bank  of  a  little  stream, 
where  I  discovered  the  footprints  of  a  huge  leopard  in 
the  soft  ground.  What  paws !  It  must  be  an  old  and 
ferocious  animal.  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that 
the  monster  was  an  old  fellow,  and  that  it  was  the  one 
that  came  so  near  our  camp  during  the  night,  and  noth- 
ing but  the  big  fiies  we  kept  up  had  frightened  him 
away  and  prevented  him  from  pouncing  ui)on  us.  Un- 
less the  leopard  had  caught  something  last  night  he  must 
be  fearfully  hungry,  and,  consecpiently,  very  fierce.  I 
must  look  out,  for,  in  that  case,  if  I  see  him  I  will  have 
but  very  little  time  to  fire,  for  in  a  jiffy  he  will  spring 
upon  me,  said  I  to  myself. 

So  I  carefully  followed  along  the  banks  of  the  stream 
the  footprints  of  the  huge  cat.     If  he  sees  me  first  he 


68  MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 

may  pounce  upon  me,  as  a  cat  does  upon  a  mouse.  I 
must  be  careful.  The  Apingi  are  watchful.  They 
look  all  round ;  their  ears  are  ready  to  hear  the  least 
noise.  All  at  once  I  hear  a  cluck  from  one  of  the  men. 
I  stop;  he  points  out  to  me  a  spot  ahead,  just  by  the 
stream,  where  the  underbrush  or  jungle  is  very  thick. 
Huge  trees  have  fallen  one  upon  another,  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  see  through  the  mass.  The  leopard  must  be 
there.  This  dark  place  must  be  his  abode  for  the  day. 
There  he  hides  himself  and  sleeps,  and  from  there  he 
starts  upon  his  depredations,  spreading  fear  and  terror 
among  beasts  and  men.  I  stand  ready  to  fii-e  at  a  sec- 
ond's notice.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  me.  I  knew 
that  it  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death  with  me.  I  fol- 
low the  track  of  the  leopard,  for  it  had  walked  all  along 
the  little  stream.  The  Apingi  men  are  not  mistaken. 
Suddenly  the  footprints  leave  the  river,  and  the  last  I 
see  of  them  shovv^  that  the  animal  has  retired  into  that 
thick,  dark,  and  almost  impenetrable  part  of  the  jungle 
where  the  Apingi  had  told  me  that  the  leopard  was  con- 
cealed. This  is  dangerous  game.  I  can  not  see  the  en- 
emy. It  is  dangerous  to  go  in.  I  can  not  back  out ;  I 
dare  not  show  the  Apingi  that  I  am  afraid.  But  then  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  killed  by  an  infuriated  leopard. 

The  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  use  caution  as  I  enter 
the  thicket.  The  Apingi  are  almost  afraid  to  go  in. 
But  we  must  do  it.  I  lead.  Oh,  I  wish  I  had  some  na- 
tive dogs  with  me  ;  they  would  bark  and  show  us  the  lair 
of  the  leopard.  After  a  while  I  succeeded  in  climbing 
to  the  top  of  the  huge  tree  that  had  been  blown  down 
by  a  tornado.  It  is  at  least  ten  feet  in  diameter,  "When 
once  lodo-ed  there  I  take  a  view  of  the  surroundings. 


JJV  UNCOMFORTABLE  POSITION.  gQ 

The  Apingi  are  close  at  my  back.  They  are  evidently 
afraid,  and,  for  myself,  I  do  not  feel  very  comfortable, 
for  you  will  agree  with  me  that  it  is  a  difficult  position 
to  be  in,  not  to  see  the  exact  location  of  sucli  a  danger- 
ous enemy  as  the  leopard,  which  at  any  moment  might  be 
down  on  my  back,  his  claws  fastened  in  my  shoulders, 
and  his  big  teeth  in  my  neck.  Such  thoughts  were  not. 
^■ery  reassuring  to  a  worn  traveler. 

I  must  confess  that  I  was  very  much  excited.  I  look- 
ed round  and  round.  The  slightest  noise  made  by  the 
wind  through  the  trees  would  startle  me.  I  thought  the 
leopard  was  close  at  hand  and  ready  to  spring  upon  me. 
I  would  have  given  a  good  deal  to  see  him.  Carefully  I 
came  down  the  trunk  of  the  huge  tree,  and  continued  to 
press  forward  with  my  Apingi  into  the  thickest  part  of 
this  already  very  thick  jungle. 

Suddenly  the  faces  of  my  Apingi  men  become  excited. 
They  stop  walking.  The  strong  odor  of  the  leopard  is 
clearly  perceptible  :  he  is  evidently  not  far  from  us.  We 
are  upon  the  leopard,  and  he  is  probably  eying  us,  and 
ready  to  make  a  spring.  We  must  hurry  to  see  him, 
for  surely  destruction  is  coming  upon  us  unless  we  de- 
stroy the  animal.  I  look  ahead  into  a  thick  bush,  where 
were  a  large  number  of  broken  branches.  It  seems 
almost  dark,  thougli  it  is  not  noon  yet,  and  the  sky  is 
clear,  and  the  sun  shines  resplendently.  Every  thing 
round  is  in  q;loom.  A  cold  shiver  runs  through  me.  A 
feeling  of  insecurity  begins  to  possess  me.  I  must  check 
it,  for,  if  I  do  not,  my  arm  will  not  be  steady,  and  I  shall 
miss  the  monster  if  I  see  him.  The  thought  of  home 
and  friends  rushed  to  my  mind.  The  feeling  of  insecu- 
rity suddenly  disappeared.     I  must  conquer  this   big 


70  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

wild  cat  of  the  forest.     If  he  is  wary,  I  too  must  be 
wary. 

Whew !  hallo  !  I  see  the  monster !  He  is  lying  on  the 
dead  branch  of  a  tree.  He  leaps  upon  the  ground  and 
crouches  upon  it.  His  long  tail  wags  to  and  fro,  showing 
that  he  is  enraged.  His  eyes  glisten  with  a  singular 
light ;  he  is  ready  to  spring.  He  springs,  but,  just  as  his 
body  seems  to  rise  from  the  ground,  a  tremendous  and 
deadly  steel-pointed  bullet  goes  through  his  head,  and 
three  spears  of  the  Apingi  are  plunged  into  his  body. 
The  monster  rolls  on  the  ground  upon  his  back,  uttering 
fearful  yells  of  pain  that  fill  the  forest,  and  drive  every 
living  animal  from  the  neighborhood.  By  this  time  my 
breath  is  taken  away.  I  am  so  excited  that  my  heart 
beats  with  fearful  quickness.  I  must  be  pale  as  death, 
for  the  excitement  is  great ;  for,  one  second  more,  and 
the  monster  would  ha^e  made  its  deadly  spring,  which 
would  have  been  destruction  to  me. 

I  was  glad  when  the  chase  was  over,  and  I  concluded 
that  I  would  rather  chase  the  leopard  at  night  with  a 
^oat  tied  to  a  tree  for  a  lure ;  but  then  I  must  not  do  as 
I  did  once  before — fall  asleep  with  the  goat — as  I  have 
previously  described  to  yon,  for,  perhaps,  instead  of  tak- 
ing the  goat,  it  might  take  me. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  camp  there  was  an  immense 
excitement.  The  Apingi  said  that  they  had  killed  the 
leopard  also,  for  three  of  their  spears  had  been  in  his 
body.  It  was  a  huge  old  fellow.  I  wish  you  could  have 
seen  his  teeth  and  his  large  paws.  What  tremendous 
claws  it  had  !  With  a  blow  of  his  paw  the  monster  could 
have  killed  the  strongest  man. 

I  was  greatly  pleased  to  secure  this  animal,  for  its  skin 


L\  A  DILEMMA. 


n 


was  superb,  and  I  knew  that  I  would  gladden  the  heart 
of  some  friend  at  home  when  I  should  present  it  to  him. 
Here,  again,  more  cooks  were  to  be  fastened  on  me, 
the  people  insisting  that  twenty  of  their  women  should 
follow  Eemandji  and  myself.  With  my  old  housekeeper, 
and  the  forty-three  cooks,  I  had  now  sixty-four  cooks. 


I.AIU   OF   TUB   LEOrARB. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MANUFACTURE  OF  POTTERY. — NUMEROUS  COOKS. — PLANTAIN 

PLANTATIONS. 

The  next  morning  I  started  again  on  my  journey,  and 
visited  a  good  many  small  Apingi  villages.  At  length  I 
came  to  one  where  the  manufacture  of  earthenware  was 
carried  on  extensively  by  the  people.  Cooking  utensils 
and  water-jars  were  made  in  great  numbers  with  a  kind 
of  grayish  clay.  Pipes  were  also  manufactured,  for  I 
must  tell  you  that  the  Apingi  cultivate  tobacco  extensive- 
ly in  their  country,  and  are  very  much  given  to  smoking. 

The  people  of  the  village  had  seen  me  at  Pemandji's, 
and  were  not  afraid.  I  had  hardly  entered  the  village 
when  the  good  chief  came  to  meet  me  with  thirteen 
women,  and  courteously  insisted  that  I  should  take  them 
for  wives  and  cooks.  Of  course  I  declined,  but  the  chief 
insisted  that  they  should  follow  me,  with  the  other  sixty- 
four,  wherever  I  traveled  in  the  Apingi  country. 

The  way  these  simple  people  worked  their  pottery  was 
very  primitive.  They  would  work  and  pound  the  clay 
till  it  was  thoroughly  mixed,  and  every  particle  of  it  very 
fine.  Then  they  would  mould  it  into  the  shape  of  the 
vases  or  pots  they  wanted  to  have,' and,  when  these  had 
been  fashioned  and  finished  exactly  as  they  wished,  they 
would  put  them  in  the  shade  under  a  veranda  or  shed. 
When  hardened  a  little  they  are  gradually  exposed  to 
the  sun  till  they  are  quite  hard,  and  then  they  are  baked 


APIXGI DAIXTIES. 


73 


over  a  fire.  I  give  you  the  shape  of  these  vases  in  the 
annexed  engraving.  I  found  that  among  all  the  tribes 
they  were  of  the  same  shape.  The  cannibals  made  pot- 
tery exactly  as  these  Apingi. 


COOKING-POT, 


OALAUA8U. 


Tlie  large  water-jngs  are  the  most  difficult  to  manu- 
facture, and  are  rather  fragile.  They  have  to  make  a 
frame  of  wicker-work,  upon  which  they  lay  the  clay. 
Calabashes  are  used  extensivelv  for  water-vessels. 

I  was  pleased  to  find  that  many  of  the  Apingi  villages 
had  remained  long  at  the  same  place ;  for  the  Apingi,  un- 
like almost  all  the  tribes  that  surround  them,  do  not  feel 
the  necessity  of  moving  their  village  after  a  death  or 
two.  The  people  would  show  me  trees  bearing  berries 
or  fruits  in  the  shape  of  an  olive,  which  had  often  been 
planted  by  their  fathers,  or  by  themselves  when  young. 
So  ovation  after  ovation  kept  following  me  as  I  came  to 
village  after  village.  I  was  a  real  king,  and  was  treat- 
ed as  such.  Feast  after  feast  was  gi\en  me  by  the  chiefs, 
and  such  queer  bills  of  fare  as  we  had !  Such  dainties  as 
came  upon  the  taljlc  I     Why,  there  were  mice,  rats,  squir- 

b 


74:  MY  APIXG I  KINGDOM. 

rels,  monkeys,  snakes,  turtles,  fish,  eels,  h^^ena,  etc. ;  but 
not  one  of  them  could  give  me  such  a  feast  as  good  old 
Obindji  had  given  to  me  and  to  my  powerful  friend  King 
Queugueza. 

I  do  not  know  why,  but  every  day  in  that  far  Apingi 
country  I  loved  to  think  of  good  old  Quengueza.  I  loved 
to  think  of  Gambo,  of  Malaouen,  and  of  poor  Querla- 
ouen.  Poor  Querlaouen,  how  much  I  miss  him  since  his 
death !  I  can  hardly  believe  that  he  is  no  more.  How 
brave  he  Was  !  This  you  know  as  well  as  I  do.  What  a 
kind  heart  God  had  given  to  his  poor  savage  nature  !  But 
you  will  no  more  read  of  our  hunting  together  when  I 
return  to  his  country. 

On  my  way  home,  after  a  few  more  days  of  travel 
in  my  new  kingdom,  I  felt  tired  as  I  came  in  the  even- 
ing to  a  large  plantation  where  there  was  an  innumer- 
able number  of  plantain-trees,  and  a  ^reat  many  bore 
immense  bunches.  The  plantain  bunch  is  much  like 
that  of  the  banana,  and  ripens  like  it  by  turning  yellow 
or  red,  according  to  the  variety.  It  is  much  larger  than 
the  banana,  coarser,  very  sweet  when  ripe,  and  delight- 
ful eating  when  roasted.  There  are  a  great  number  of 
varieties  of  plantain,  far  more  so  than  of  banana.  Some 
of  the  trees  bear  after  six  or  eight  months,  others  take  a 
year,  some  a  year  and  a  h-alf.  There  are  varieties  that 
bear  prodigious  bunches,  weighing  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  In  the  interior  they  flour- 
ish splendidly,  and  now  and  then  you  see  bmiches  much 
heavier  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 

Now  I  will  explain  to  you  how  the  best  plantain  plan- 
tations are  made,  and  you  will  see  that  there  is  no  other 
species  of  food  that  can  be  raised  in  such  a  quantity  on 
so  small  a  lot  of  land. 


HOW  A  PLANTATION  IS  MADE.  75 

Of  coui'se  you  are  aware  that  the  banana  and  plantain 
trees,  without  exception,  bear  only  a  single  bunch,  and 
then  die.  The  varieties  that  bear  the  quickest  have  the 
smallest  bunches.  A  great  many  of  these  weigh  only 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  pounds,  and  sometimes  even 
less.  But  judge  of  the  quantity  of  food  which  an  acre 
of  ground  can  bear  when  planted  with  the  varieties  of 
trees  that  bear  the  heaviest  bunches.  A  plantation  is 
stocked  with  the  shoots  of  the  plantain-tree.  The  plan- 
tain shoots  are  set  out  about  six  feet  apart,  and  sometimes 
more.  Other  shoots  spring  from  them — sometimes  as 
many  as  six  or  eight  before  the  tree  has  done  bearing 
and  dies.  Each  of  these  shoots  become  trees  themselves, 
and  bear ;  a  few  of  these  are  retransplanted,  in  order  to 
give  the  others  more  room  to  grow. 

The  shade  of  plantain-trees,  after  they  have  grown  to  a 
certain  height,  prevents  every  kind  of  weeds  from  grow- 
ing under  them ;  hence,  after  a  plantation  has  been  started 
well — that  is  to  say,  that  the  young  plantain-trees  have 
grown  healthy  and  strong,  and  the  foliage  has  become 
thick,  it  requires  no  care  at  all. 

Now  let  us  say  that  six  square  feet  of  land  will  give 
six  plantain-trees,  which  bear  six  bunches  of  plantains 
within  two  years.  If  the  plantains  belong  to  the  heavy- 
bunch  variety,  these  will  weigh  about  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds — to  make  an  average,  we 
will  say  one  hundred  pounds.  So  in  two  years  six  hun- 
dred pounds  of  food  have  been  produced  on  six  square 
feet  of  land.  But  then  the  weight  of  the  skin  and  of 
the  stem  must  be  deducted,  and  the  average  weight  of 
these  is  a  third  of  the  gross  weight.  All  the  calculations 
I  made  did  bear  that  pi-oportion. 


76  MY  APINOI  EINODOM. 

So  food  to  the  amount  of  four  hundred  pounds  is  raised 
on  six  feet  square  of  land  in  two  years,  or  at  an  average 
of  two  hundred  pounds  of  food  a  year ;  so  I  think  we 
may  safely  say  that  the  plantain-tree  gives  more  food  to 
the  human  race  in  proportion  to  space  than  any  other 
plant. 

The  natives  eat  the  plantain  green.  It  is  then  tasteless, 
and  when  coming  out  of  the  boiling  pot  it  is  very  mellow 
and  quite  palatable  when  once  accustomed  to  it. 

ISTothing  is  more  beautiful  than  a  cluster  of  plantain- 
trees  protected  by  the  forest  from  the  winds;  the  im- 
mense leaves,  some  of  them  over  eight  feet  long,  make 
a  superb  appearance. 

In  despite  of  all  this  luxuriance,  the  negroes  are  at  times 
straitened  for  food,  for  the  plantains,  unlike  grain,  do 
not  keep  long  after  being  picked  from  the  tree  in  that 
hot  climate.  In  four  or  five  days  after  they  have  been 
cut  they  begin  to  be-  too  ripe  to  eat,  and  rot  very  soon 
after.  So,  if  your  plantation  bears  more  than  you  want, 
you  must  give  them  away,  for  there  is  no  market  in  that 
part  of  the  world,  no  real  starving  people,  no  poor,  for 
these  people,  though  not  Christians,  never  allow  a  stran- 
ger to  be  hungry. 

The  land  for  a  new  plantation  is  cleared  in  the  follow- 
ing manner :  The  trees  of  the  forest  are  cut  down  in  the 
dry  season ;  then,  after  a  while,  fire  is  set  to  them, 
and  afterward  the  young  plantain-trees  are  transplanted 
in  the  midst  of  the  numberless  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees 
that  the  fire  liad  not  been  able  to  destroy. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    KENDO. —  ITS     SMALL    SIZE. —  I    KILL    ONE.- 
MENT    OF    THE    NATIVES. 


ASTONISII- 


On  my  way  back  to  Reraandji  I  saw  a  good  many 
little  squirrels  in  that  great  African  forest ;  but  there  is 
one  little  fellow  so  very  small  and  tiny  that  I  am  sure  it 
must  be  the  smallest  squirrel  in  the  world.  I  must  tell 
vou  somethinc^  about  it.  The  natives  called  it  kendo. 
It  was  entirely  a  new  species  to  me.  Being  so  small,  I 
called  it  Sciitrus  minutus  when  I  gave  a  description  of 
it  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Xatural 
History  for  1860,  p.  3G6.  I  remember  the  first  time  I 
met  a  kendo  I  was  with  my  great  friend  Querlaouen, 
just  by  a  swamp,  hidden  and  watching  for  wild  ducks 
that  were  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  it  every  day.  All 
at  once  I  saw  climbing  along  the  trunk  of  a  tree  a  little 
animal,  which  seemed  so  small  that  I  had  some  doubt 
about  my  having  seen  any  thing  at  all.  I  lost  sight  of 
it  in  a  few  seconds,  then  got  sight  of  it  again,  but  only 
for  a  second,  as  I  hardly  had  my  eye  upon  it  when  it 
vanished.  Querlaouen  saw  it  also,  and  told  me  it  was  a 
kendo.  I  immediately  drew  the  heavy  charge  from  one 
of  the  barrels  of  my  gun  and  reloaded  with  the  smallest 
kind  of  shot  I  had,  and  which  was  used  by  me  to  kill 
ver}'  small  birds. 

At  last  I  got  sight  again  of  a  little  kendo.  He  was 
gnawing  a  little  bit  of  the  bark  of  the  tree,  and  was 


78 


J\fY  APING  I  KINGDOM. 


THE   BOrUKUS   MINUICS,  OT.    KENDO. 


standing  still.  It  was  the  most  graceful  little  tiny  thing 
I  had  seen.  Just  as  I  raised  my  gun  he  moved  away, 
but  as  quickly  as  possible  I  followed  him  in  his  move- 
ment, and  as  soon  as  I  saw  a  good  chance  I  fired,  and 
the  poor  little  thing  tumbled  down  to  the  gromid,  to  the 
utter  amazement  of  fi-iend  Querlaouen,  who  was  sure 
that  I  had  a  big  monda  (fetich)  to  be  able  to  hit  such  a 
little  thing.  During  my  sojourn  in  Africa  I  killed  sev- 
eral more  of  these  little  kendos,  and  brought  their  stuffed 
skins  back,  and  as  I  know  that  you  would  like  to  see  just 
how  big  the  little  animal  is,  there  stands  before  you  a 
picture  of  a  full  grown  specimen. 


/  DISMISS  MY  COOKS. 


7-9 


I  can  not  tell  you  the  astonishment  of  Kemandji  when 
he  saw  I  had  been  successful  in  killing  the  kendo.     I^ 
M-as  in  his  eye  a  much  greater  spirit  than  ever ;  so,  if 
Querlaouen  was  astonished,  you  must  just  fancy  how 
much  more  amazed  Kemandji  was. 

The  next  day  we  got  back  to  Eemandji,  where  every 
demonstration  of  joy  from  the  villagers  welcomed  us.  I 
entered  the  village  with  a  very  large  retinue  of  women 
as  cooks,  headed,  of  course,  by  my  old  housekeeper,  who 
insisted  on  taking  the  lead  and  being  first  in  every  thing, 
because,  as  she  said,  she  was  the  first  that  had  been  given 
to  me.  I  gave  to  each  of  these  poor  creatures  a  few  big 
beads,  and  then  dismissed  them,  and  they  returned  to 
their  own  villages  feeling  quite  happy. 

Wandering  the  next  morning  in  the  forest  with  Okabi, 
I  heard  a  very  strange  sound,  and  stopped  to  listen  and 
find  out  what  it  was. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  HERD   OF  MONKEYS. HOW  THEY  TRAVEL  IN  THE  FOREST. 

WHITE-NOSED   MONKEYS. THEIR    GREAT    LEAPS. HOW 

THEY   KEEP   FOOD    WHEN   NOT   HUNGRY. 

"  Hark  !"  said  I,  "  hark  !  "What  is  the  noise  I  hear  ? 
It  must  come  from  a  band  of  monkeys  traveling  in  the 
forest  from  tree  to  tree.  It  is  no  use  to  go  to  them,"  said 
I  to  Okabi ;  "  let  us  hide  ourselves  in  the  direction  where 
the  noise  comes  from,  and  if  they  come  in  a  straight  line 
they  may  pass  over  our  heads,  and  we  may  then  have  a 
good  shot  at  them."  This  was  hai-dly  said  before  it  was 
done.  We  hid  ourselves  under  a  thick  little  bush.  The 
noise  came  nearer  and  nearer.  IIo  !  ho  !  I  thought,  they 
are  going  to  pass  just  over  our  heads.  This  was  a  great 
piece  of  good  fortune. 

I  hid  myself  the  best  way  I  could,  squatting  close  to 
the  ground,  and  sinking  my  neck  into  my  shoulders  as 
much  as  possible,  and  hardly  dared  to  breathe,  when,  by 
jingo,  I  felt  like  sneezing !  It  would  have  been  nice 
work  to  sneeze  just  when  the  monkeys  were  close  by,  and 
to  frighten  them  away,  for  the  monkeys  are  shy  here, 
being  much  hunted  by  the  natives.  Many  and  many 
hundreds  of  them  have  met  their  death  by  the  arrows 
and  traps  of  the  skillful  hunters.  But  liere  they  come ! 
I  see  the  branches  at  the  top  of  the  trees  moving.     There 


THEY  SEEM  TO  FL  Y  IX  THE  AIS.  ^l 

must  be  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  monkeys,  belonging  to 
the  wliite-nosed  tribe,  upon  a  journey.  It  was  marvelous 
to  see  them  seize  the  branches  and  swing  themselves,  in 
order  to  leap  farther,  just  like  a  man  on  a  trapeze.  As 
they  came  down  to  the  extremity  of  the  light  branches, 
these  would  bend  several  feet  under  their  weight.  They 
would  leap  to  another  branch,  seize  one,  and  then  to  an- 
other, never  stopping  to  rest.  Sometimes  they  would 
run  a  few  steps  on  some  long  and.  stout  branch,  and  leap 
again.  In  some  places  where  the  trees  were  not  very 
near  together  in  the  direction  in  which  they  wislied  to 
travel,  they  would  take  flying  leaps  of  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet,  straight  through  the  air,  from  branch  to  branch, 
without  stopping  to  measure  the  distance.  I  was  so 
deeply  interested  in  watching  their  movements  that  I 
quite  forgot  that  I  had  a  gun,  and  that  I  was  hungry. 
One  by  one  they  passed  on,  flying  along  like  as  if  they 
had  wings,  or  by  magic,  reacliing  the  branch  they  aimed 
at  with  unerring  certainty.  Not  one  of  them  made  a 
mistake ;  not  one  of  tliem  fell  short  of  the  branch  he 
was  after.  In  this  manner  monkeys  journey  for  miles 
through  the  woods.  Sometimes  they  make  tremendous 
jumps  from  the  upper  boughs  of  high  trees  down  to 
lower  ones.  I  do  not  exaggerate  at  all  when  I  say  that 
sometimes  I  have  surprised  monkeys  on  high  trees,  and, 
after  firing  at  them,  I  have  seen  them  fall,  apparently 
taking  no  lieed,  to  a  distance  of  thirty,  forty,  and  perhaps 
fifty  feet  below,  and  disappear  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye.  Unless  the  monkeys  shriek,  there  is  no  way  to  dis- 
cover that  they  are  about  in  tlie  woods  except  by  the 
noise  occasioned  by  their  tremendous  leaps  when  on  a 
journey,  which  sounds  very  strangely  in  the  silence  of 

D  2 


g2  MY  APING  I  KINGDOM. 

these  equatorial  forests.  On  they  go,  leap  after  leap,  for 
hours  without  resting.  At  other  times,  when  they  aie 
only  on  a  feeding  excursion,  and  have  reached  a  place 
where  berries  are  abundant  on  the  trees,  they  take  it  eas}', 
and  make  their  leaps  slowly  as  they  go  along.  It  is  by 
this  noise  chiefly  that  the  hunters  are  guided  when  on 
the  look-out  for  them.  When  there  are  many  of  them 
together  they  are  difficult  to  approach,  as  they  always 
have  a  sentinel  on  the  watch,  and  at  the  least  noise  they 
decamp  as  fast  as  they  can  go  ;  but  when  only  two,  three, 
or  four  of  them  are  together,  they  are  easier  to  approach, 
especially  if  tliey  are  hungr}'. 

The  white-nosed  monkey,  the  ndova,  and  the  white- 
mustached  monkey,  the  "  miengai,"  are  tremendous  leap- 
ers  in  those  forests.  I  doubt  very  much  whetlier  the 
nkago  ( '  cercocebus")  is  quite  as  good  a  leaper  as  the  two 
others.  They  attain  all  of  them  to  a  very  large  size  in 
the  wild  state,  and  a  good  many  must  weigh  more  than 
thirty  or  forty-five  pounds.  The  enormous  canines  the 
big  ones  possess  show  what  they  can  do  in  the  way  of 
biting. 

I  think  that  to  see  one  of  these  flocks  of  monkeys  on 
the  march  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  sights  that  ever 
gladdened  my  eyes  in  the  great  jungles  of  Africa.  It  is 
certainly  a  wonderful  spectacle,  for  they  seem  to  con- 
tinue their  flight  without  cessation,  and  without  heeding 
what  is  before  them.  Their  sight  is  so  quick  and  keen, 
and  their  motion  so  rapid,  that,  on  this  occasion,  I  was 
unable  to  get  within  shot  of  them  again  after  coming  to 
my  wits.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  watch  them.  So  expert 
are  they  in  their  motions  that  they  can  stop  at  will,  tak- 
ing a  firm  grasp  of  the  branch  with  the  hind  feet.     The 


VUmOUS  WA  Y  OF  KEEPIXG  FOOD.  85 

fore  feet  are  only  used  in  leaps  to  catch  the  branches 
toward  which  they  spring. 

Each  of  these  three  species  of  monkey  has  a  very  pe- 
culiar and  distinct  voice,  the  nkago  having  the  most  pow- 
erful. IIow  often  I  have  heard  them,  I  should  think 
almost  a  mile  off,  either  calling  for  their  absent  mate,  or, 
like  otlier  wild  beasts,  doing  it  merely  for  the  pleasure 
of  trying  the  strength  of  their  lungs. 

Tlie  cercopitheci  and  the  cercocebi  have  very  large 
pouclies,  which  possess  great  power  of  distension,  and 
they  use  them  as  store-houses,  where  they  keep  their  nuts 
and  berries  when  not  hungry. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ELEPHANT  HUNTING.  —  TAKE  EEFUGE  ON  A  TEEE.  —  FIEE 
TWICE  AT  THE  ELEPHANT. HOW  HE  KICKED  ! AN  IM- 
MENSE   PYTHON. HE    KILLS    ONE    OF    OUK    DOGS. OKABI 

KILLS    THE    SNAKE. 

I  HEAR  that  elepliants  are  plentiful,  and  their  heavy 
footprints  are  seen  in  a  great  many  places  in  the  forest. 
Antelopes  and  wild  boars  are  also  plentiful.  I  must 
have  a  peep  at  the  elephants.  I  must  go  after  them  in 
the  forest.  I  must  kill  one.  ISTow  is  the  time,  for  I 
know  that  a  herd  is  in  the  forest,  and,  to  judge  by  the 
natives  pointing  to  the  height  of  the  sun  to  show  the  time 
we  should  find  them  if  we  start  early  in  the  morning  at 
sunrise,  I  suppose  that  they  must  be  about  a  four  hours' 
walk  from  the  village. 

I  have  taken  my  best  rifle ;  I  have  loaded  it  with  steel- 
pointed  bullets;  I  give  to  each  of  the  two  Apingi  who 
are  to  accompany  me  a  spare  gun  to  carry,  take  food 
for  the  day,  and  we  start. 

After  a  while  we  came  to  fresh  footprints,  which  evi- 
dently had  been  made  where  we  were  the  day  before  ;  we 
followed  their  tracks.  It  was  easy,  for  there  must  have 
been  a  herd  of  ten  or  twelve  together.  Oh  how  I  wished 
I  had  one  of  my  Bakalai  fi'iends  with  me,  as  we  might 
have  killed  several  elephants.  We  continued  to  follow 
the  tracks,  being  careful,  from  time  to  time,  to  break  a 


I  liEMEMBEli  V I  'EH LA  0  UEX.  g  7 

bough  of  a  young  tree,  and  drop  on  the  ground  a  hand- 
ful of  green  twigs,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  we  could 
find  the  wav  back  again. 

At  last  I  thought  I  heard  a  noise,  and  gave  a  kind  of 
cluck  to  stop  my  two  Apingi  friends,  and  raised  my 
fincjer  to  my  mouth  to  insure  silence.  There  \vas  no 
mistake.  I  could  hear  a  booming  sound,  as  if  it  was 
the  heavy  trampling  of  elephants.  We  advanced  care- 
fully. I  could  feel  my  heart  beating  violently,  and  I 
could  almost  hear  its  pulsations.  These  African  ele- 
phants are  ugly  customers.  The  nimblest  and  coolest 
ImiTter  is  sometimes  caught  by  them.  Had  not  m}^  splen- 
did friend  Querlaouen  been  killed  by  an  elephant?  Poor 
fellow !  I  had  been  thinking  of  him  these  last  two  hours. 
I  often  think  of  him.  I  thought  also  of  friend  Aboko, 
and  wondered  where  he  was.  Perhaps  he  has  been  sold, 
said  I  to  myself,  or  he  may  have  been  killed  for  witch- 
craft. Some  of  you  may  perhaps  remember  that  Aboko 
was  a  great  elephant  hunter. 

Such  were  my  thoughts  as  I  advanced  into  the  jungle 
to  meet  the  elephants.  How  lightly  I  stepped  on  the 
ground,  for  fear  of  making  a  noise  and  alarming  the 
huge  beasts ! 

I  must  remain  still,  for  I  discover  that  the  elephants 
are  retracing  their  steps ;  they  are  coming  back  by  the 
same  road.  What  does  this  mean  ?  They  are  certainly 
unaware  of  our  being  so  close  to  them.  My  friends  the 
Apingi  begin  to  show  fear,  and  make  me  a  sign  that 
they  are  going  to  ascend  a  tree.  They  had  hardly  made 
the  sign  than  they  had  climbed  a  pretty  large  tree,  get- 
ting up  among  the  lianes  which  hung  from  its  branches. 
They  were  alK)nt  twenty  feet  frctiii  the  ground,  resting 


gg  MY  APIXGI  KINGDOM. 

on  a  heavy  limb,  and  looked  in  the  direction  where  we 
heard  the  noise. 

Looking  round,  I  saw  close  to  them  a  nice  tree,  with  a 
very  thick  trunk,  just  near  the  path  the  elephants  had 
made  by  trampling  the  young  saplings  down.  How 
to  get  up  ?  Suddenly  I  saw  a  heavy  liane,  or  creeper, 
hanging  down  from  one  of  its  bi'anches.  I  slung  my 
gun  on  my  shoulder,  seized  the  liane,  and  soon  found 
myself  some  twenty  feet  up,  between  two  immense  limbs 
which  diverged  from  the  trunk.  I  stood  between  them, 
resting  my  back  on  one  of  the  limbs.  I  was  just  in  a 
right  position  if  the  elephants  were  to  come  back  by  the 
same  path  they  had  made.  The  noise  becomes  greater ; 
they  break  down  young  trees  as  they  advance,  to  eat  their 
leaves.  I  hear  their  footsteps  distinctly.  They  are  com- 
ing by  the  same  road. 

I  keep  a  sharp  look-out  through  the  dense  foliage. 
The  young  trees  begin  to  move,  and  I  know  that  the  ele- 
phants are  near.  The  bull  is  in  sight.  I  count  nine 
elephants.  The  bull  suddenly  stops,  sniffs  the  air,  and 
elevates  his  trunk.  He  has  smelt  danger,  no  doubt.  Oh 
dear !  I  can  not  aim  well  on  account  of  being  too  high. 
I  am  sorry.     I  wish  I  had  remained  on  the  around. 

I  shoulder  my  rifle.  I  aim  at  the  bull,  wishing  to  shoot 
him  through  the  ear.  I  take  good  aim — bang !  As  ill 
luck  would  have  it,  just  as  I  touched  the  trigger  my  foot 
slipped,  and  the  bullet  struck  the  elephant  in  the  head, 
wounding  him  badly,  but  not  killing  him.  He  imme- 
diately charges  on  the  tree,  when  suddenly  he  perceives 
my  two  Apingi  friends,  and  makes  a  rush  for  their  tree, 
tearing  down  the  vines  which  hang  from  it.  I  fire  again, 
and  the  ball  hits  him  on  the  hip.     He  gives  a  tremen- 


THE  ELEPHANTS  PLUNGE  INTO  THE  FOEEIST.  39 

dous  kick,  raises  his  bind  legs  up,  and  plunges  into  the 
forest  with  fearful  noise,  tearing  every  tiling  that  op- 
posed him,  and  leaving  tracks  of  blood  behind.  I  wag 
happy  to  see  the  last  of  him,  as  I  did  not  feel  at  home 
on  the  tree.  If  I  had  been  on  the  ground  I  would  have 
probably  killed  him.  The  other  elephants,  when  they 
heard  the  first  gun,  dashed  into  the  forest  at  a  fearful 
speed,  demolishing  every  thing  before  them.  When  the 
Apingi  came  down  from  their  tree,  they  looked  almost 
dead  withJright.  I  was  not  satisfied  with  myself,  for  I 
wished  I  had  "  bagged"  the  elepliant. 

I  came  doM'n  from  my  place  of  concealment,  and  for 
the  reuiainder  of  the  day  went  after  the  other  elephants ; 
but  thev  had  fled  far  awav,  and  I  was  at  length  obliged 
to  give  up  the  chase.  AVe  made  our  camp  that  night  in 
the  woods.  I  lighted  a  fire  without  trouble.  We  made 
a  nice  slielter  with  leaves,  for  we  had  rain  almost  every 
niglit ;  and,  surrounded  by  bright  fires,  we  lay  down  to 
sleep.  The  leopards  were  prowling  about,  so  we  did  not 
all  dare  to  sleep  at  once.  One  must  keep  watch,  and 
see  that  the  fires  were  bright.  We  had  no  trouble  in  do- 
ing this,  as  we  had  collected  a  great  quantity  of  fire-wood. 

The  next  morning  we  returned  to  Remandji.  My  two 
Apingi  told  marvelous  stories  about  my  gun,  and  what  a 
kicking  the  elephant  made  when  he  received  a  bullet  in 
his  hind  quarter.  Every  one  laughed  heartily,  and  some 
of  the  villagers  prepared  to  go  into  the  forest  to  hunt  for 
the  wounded  elephant,  for  they  say  he  has  surely  died. 
I  should  not  wonder  if  he  should  be  found  dead  some- 
where in  the  jungle  in  a  few  days. 

Tlie  following  day  I  went  Imnting  again.  Okabi  was 
my  only  companion.     Okabi  had  taken  with  liim  four  of 


90  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

his  dogs,  and  we  liad  great  liopes  of  killing  some  wild 
boars.  Suddenly  tlie  dogs,  which  were  running  in  the 
forest,  appeared  excited,  as  if  they  were  on  this  track  of 
game,  and  the  four  were  soon  out  of  sight.  Soon  after- 
ward we  heard  them  barking,  which  at  last  became  less 
and  less  distinct,  till  the  sound  was  entirely  lost.  "  Yes," 
said  I  to  Okabi, "  there  must  be  game  in  the  forest ;  what 
can  it  be  ?"  "  I  can  not  tell,"  said  Okabi.  I  fully  ex- 
pected to  hear  the  barking  of  the  dogs  come  once  more 
toward  us,  for  these  dogs  were  so  trained  as  tg  drive  the 
game  in  the  direction  of  the  hunters.  We  were  not  mis- 
taken. A  little  after  we  heard  the  barking  of  the  dogs, 
but  once  more  it  gradually  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  and 
all  became  silent.  Okabi  shouted  all  the  time  in  Apingi 
to  the  dogs  to  come  back,  so  that  they  might  know  the 
direction  in  which  we  were.  All  continued  silent.  We 
waited  for  an  hour ;  the  same  silence  still  prevailed,  and 
we  concluded  that  the  game  had  been  fleeter  than  the 
dogs,  and  had  given  them  the  slip.  It  might  have  been 
an  antelope,  and  perhaps  it  had  crossed  some  stream ;  but 
then  these  native  dogs  are  not  afraid  of  water,  and  they 
would  have  gone  in  pursuit.  Perhaps  it  might  have  been 
a  chimpanzee.  In  fact,  we  did  not  know  what  game  it 
was,  and  Okabi  and  I  wished  we  knew. 

The  doss  are  at  last  comino;  back.  We  hear  their 
footsteps  in  the  jungle,  and  now  one  is  in  sight.  But 
hark !  I  hear  a  howl  of  pain  from  one  of  them,  as  if  it 
had  been  seized  by  a  wild  beast.  We  are  on  the  qui 
vine.  I  cock  my  gun.  Who  knows  but  that  there  may 
be  a  gorilla  close  by,  or  perhaps  a  fierce  leopard  has 
sprung  upon  the  dog.  It  may  be  a  wild  beast  with  which 
I  have  never  been  acquainted.     But  never  mind ;  I  am 


SXAKE  COILED  ROUND  A  DOO.  91 

ready ;  my  gun  is  loaded  for  big  game.  I  look  round. 
The  tliree  dogs  bark,  and  J  cautiously  go  in  their  direc- 
tion. What  meets  iliy  eyes.?  An  immense  python,  that 
had  been  lying  in  wait  by  a  little  rivulet,  coiled  round  a 
tree,  no  doubt  waiting  for  some  gazelle  or  other  game 
to  come  and  drink,  liad  sprung  and  coiled  itself  round 
the  poor  dog,  and  was  drawing  itself  tighter  and  tighter 
round  his  body.  I  rush  forward  with  Okabi.  The  snake 
at  the  same  time  had  seen  us,  and  seemed,  to  all  appear- 
ances, not  to  know  what  to  do.  I  did  not  like  to  fire,  lest 
I  should  kill  the  poor  dog  that  was  struggling  m  its 
folds.  Okal)i,  taking  the  cutlass  he  had  by  his  side,  goes 
to  the  rescue,  and  cuts  the  body  of  the  snake  in  two. 
The  iron  grip  of  his  fold  gives  way,  and  the  dog,  appear- 
ing half  dead,  lies  prostrate  on  the  ground.  It  had  been 
almost  squeezed  to  death.  The  two  parts  of  the  body  of 
the  big  python,  or  huge  African  boa,  still  quivered  and 
wrio-crled  almost  as  if  it  was  still  alive.  One  blow  more 
from  Okabi's  cutlass,  and  one  half  is  divided  in  two 
again,  and  with  the  butt-end  of  my  gun  I  smash  his 
head. 

We  wei-e  too  busy  with  the  snake  first  to  look  after 
the  dog ;  but,  after  killing  the  reptile,  we  came  to  poor 
dosra-y.  I  took  him  to  the  border  of  the  little  rivulet, 
and  sprinkled  him  with  water,  in  order  to  see  if  we 
could  not  revive  him.  But  all  we  did  was  of  no  avail. 
He  had  been  squeezed  too  long  (though  but  a  short  time) 
in  the  folds  of  the  snake.  In  a  second  or  two  his  eyes 
l)ecame  dim,  and  after  a  few  struggles  of  the  limbs  and 
gasps  for  breath,  the  poor  dog  died.  Okabi  was  furious, 
for  it  was  a  trained  dog.  We  took  with  us  the  snake, 
which  measured  fifteen  feet  in  length. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SEEIOUS  THOUGHTS. SHALL  I  REMAIN  TO  BE  THEIR  KING  ?— 

WILL  THE  APINGI  FIGHT? — I  MUST  RAISE    A  REVENUE. — 
PRODUCTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

I  MUST  begin  to  think  seriously  of  what  can  be  done 
for  the  improvement  of  my  kingdom.  Did  the  people 
really  believe  that  I  was  to  remain  with  them  forever  ? 
Of  course  they  never  dreamed  that  I  could  die.  I  had 
not  made  up  my  mind  how  long  I  would  remain,  for  I 
had  a  strong  desire  to  go  back  to  the  sea-shore  and  return 
to  New  York. 

Then  I  thought  how  strange  it  would  be  if  I  staid  with 
them  till  the  end  of  my  days !  If  such  was  the  case,  said 
I  to  myself,  I  must  establish  communication  with  the 
sea-shore,  first  by  means  of  the  big  river,  and  then  by 
land.  But  the  Eembo-Apingi  (Eembo  meaning  the 
river)  was  a  large  stream,  and  numerous  tribes  were  liv- 
ing on  its  banks.  Some  of  them  were  very  warlike,  and 
there  had  never  been  communication  from  the  Apingi  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Fernand  Yaz.  From  Remand ji's  vil- 
lage to  my  settlement  of  Washington  there  was  a  great 
extent  of  country  to  go  through.  There  would  be,  no 
doubt,  some  tremendous  fighting  to  be  done,  for  I  knew 
enough  of  the  country  to  know  that  the  right  of  way  was 
not  to  be  obtained  easily,  each  tribe  being  jealous  of  the 
other.  Would  the  Apingi  be  willing  to  fight,  and  con- 
quer or  die  ?     In  that  case  I  must  go  once  more  to  the 


WUAT  MUST  I  DO?  '!'  93 

t 

sea-coast,  bring  small  cannon,  quantities  of,  gims,  pistol^:, 
and  every  thing  required  to  make  us  formidable,  so  that 
we  might  be  feared  by  all  the  tribes  in  case  they  should 
try  to  prevent  us  from  lia\ing  communication  with  the 
sea.  Large  canoes  also  must  be  made,  capable  of  hold-, 
ing  at  least  one  hundred  warrioi*s,  for  I  must  have  a  pow 
erful  navy  to  navigate  the  river.  The  men  must  be 
taught  how  to  use  guns,  how  to  fire,  and,  above  all,  not 
to  shrink  from  dano-er. 

I  began  to  see  that  I  had  a  gigantic  task  before  me. 
Of  course  I  did  not  intend  to  be  a  kinc*  of  savaojes.  1 
wanted  the  people  to  advance  in  civilization.  Schools 
must  be  established.  The  people  must  learn  how  to  read 
and  write.  They  must  be  taught  by  all  means,  so  tliat 
in  the  course  of  time,  from  their  own  free  will  (for  I  be- 
lieve in  liberty  of  conscience),  they  might  destroy  their 
idols,  cast  away  their  superstitions,  and  believe  in  God  as 
the  great  Ruler  of  the  universe.  They  must  admit  the 
good  missionaries,  whcr  could  instruct  them  in  his  worship. 

Tlien,  again,  every  country  must  have  a  revenue.  How 
sliall  I  raise  taxes  ?  I  can  not  raise  money,  for  it  is  un- 
known here,  and  silver  and  gold  liave  never  been  seen 
by  the  people.  What  were  the  products  of  tlie  country  ? 
"Wliat  could  be  got  out  of  it?  For  no  government  can 
be  carried  on  without  a  revenue  of  some  kind.  Palm- 
oil,  India-rubber,  ivorj',  sbony-wood,  bar-wood,  gum  co- 
pal— these  are  the  leading  products  of  the  country: 
great  quantities  of  them  could  be  had.  A  numerous 
tleet  of  canoes,  constructed  especially  to  cany  goods, 
must  be  constructed.  They  must  be  very  large,  and 
strongly  built.  They  could  go  down  the  river  loaded 
with  a  few  men  in  each,  but  they  must  be  convoyed  by 


94  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

powerful  war-canoes,  that  could  defy  and  destroy  any 
hostile  canoe  that  might  come  out  against  them. 

Peace  must  reign  along  the  borders  of  the  river,  from 
the  Apingi  country  to  its  mouth.  Laws  must  be  strictly 
enforced  and  obeyed,  and  war  between  villages  and  tribes 
along  the  river  must  be  forbidden,  just  as  King  Quengue- 
za  has  forbidden  war  on  the  Ovenga  River,  and  the  re- 
fractory people  must  be  punished,  and  their  villages  burnt, 
so  that  they  may  learn  that  no  laws  can  be  broken  with- 
out cost.  In  fact,  peace  must  reign  every  where  in  the 
country,  so  that  commerce  may  be  thrifty  and  the  peo- 
ple happy. 

These  thoughts  brought  me  back  again  to  the  question 
of  a  revenue. 

How  many  tons  of  ebony,  pounds  of  ivoiy,  tons  of 
palm-oil,  and  pounds  of  India-rubber  would  have  to  be 
collected  by  the  people,  in  order  to  raise,  for  the  first 
year,  $100,000?     Say— 

10,000  lbs.  of  ivory,  at  $2  per  lb $20,000 

200  tons  of  palm-oil,  at  $200  per  ton 40,000 

1000  tons  of  ebony,  at  $100  per  ton 100,000 

10  tons  of  wax,  at  $650  per  ton 6,500 

100,000  lbs.  of  India-rubber,  collected  carefully,  would  be 

worth  20  cents  per  lb 20,000 

10  tons  of  gum  copal,  at  $650  per  ton 6,500 

I  could  easily  collect  $182,000.  As  for  the  bar-wood, 
it  is  too  far  away,  except  if  collected  near  the  sea-shore, 
for  it  is  only  worth  about  $25  per  ton.  No  doubt  the 
trade  could  be  increased  vastly  in  a  short  time  with  the 
interior  of  Africa.  I  put  the  amount  of  each  product 
according  to  the  amount  of  production,  that  is  to  say,  in 
ratio.     I  have  no  doubt  that  in  time  the  pahn-oil  would 


PRODUCTIOXS  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  95 

become  one  of  the  leading  products  of  the  country. 
There  are  great  quantities  of  pea-nuts  in  that  region,  and 
an  immense  amonnt  of  oil  could  be  manufactured,  if 
mills  were  established  for  that  purpose..  It  is  very  easy 
of  manufacture.  The  pea-nut  yields  an  enormous  quan- 
tity of  oil — I  think  more  than  five  eightlis  of  its  own 
weight.  South  fi'om  the  Apingi,  malachite  and  copper 
nmst  be  abundant,  for  they  come  to  Loango  from  the  in- 
terior. What  a  profitable  branch  of  commerce  this 
might  be  made !  In  many  parts  of  the  mountains  very 
rich  iron  ore  is  plentiful ;  and,  sliould.it  in  time  become 
civilized,  there  will  be  no  trouble  in  building  railways. 
The  forests  furnish  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  timber. 
A  species  of  teak  is  found  near  the  sea-shore.  Saw-mills 
could  be  erected  to  make  all  this  available  in  time.  I 
am  fully  persuaded  that  one  of  these  days — it  may  be  a 
very  long  time  yet — we  will  have  to  come  to  Africa  for 
timber.  Then  there  must  be  precious  stones  in  those 
rocky  and  woody  mountains;  and  it  is  not  improbable 
that  gold  may  be  found  in  sufficient  abundance  to  pay 
well  for  mining.  Unfortunately,  no  dependence  could 
be  placed  on  agricultural  products,  for  no  negro  loves  to 
cultivate  the  soil. 

The  social  system,  also,  must  be  entirely  reformed  in 
this  part  of  the  world  before  agriculture  can  flourish. 
Men  must  be  taught  to  cultivate  the  soil  themselves  in- 
stead  of  leaving  it  to  their  wives.  You  have  seen,  in 
reading  the  previous  books  of  this  series,  that  men  do 
not  work.  Not  one  of  them  would  like  to  go  and  culti- 
vate the  soil.  They  think  it  is  beneatli  their  dignity, 
and  that  it  is  for  women  only  to  handle  the  spade  and 
hoe 


9  6  ^^  APING  I KINOD  OM. 

You  have  seen  that  all  the  products  I  have  spoken  of, 
as  furnishing  means  to  raise  a  re\enue,  are  native  pro- 
ducts. The  one  exception  is  the  pea  -  nut,  which,  how- 
ever, grows  there,  when  planted,  with  great  luxuriance. 

1  must  also  teach  the  natives  to  plant  rice,  so  that  thej 
maj  have  food  that  will  keep.  Thej  never  had  seen  rice 
before  I  came  to  their  country,  though  in  some  parts  of 
Africa  the  natives  plant  and  live  upon  it.  I  must  also 
make  them  plant  Indian  corn,  as  this  is  also  food  that 
w^ill  keep.  I  must  tell  you  that  Indian  corn  is  often 
found  among  the  tribes  near  the  Coast,  but  the  plant  is 
gradually  finding  its  way  into  the  interior. 

I  thought  I  would  let  some  time  pass  away  before  I 
made  up  my  mind  wdiat  I  should  do.  If  I  conclude  to 
remain  to  be  their  king,  I  must  go  home  and  get  a  wife. 
A  smile  came  over  me  at  that  very  thought,  for  it  was  the 
fii-st  time  I  had  thought  of  the  subject  in  my  life.  What 
a  tremendous  excitement  there  would  be  if  I  ever  came 
to  the  Apingi  country  with  a  wife,  especially  if  she  had 
blue  eyes,  and  long  fair  or  flaxen  hair  hanging  down  over 
her  shoulders !  I  am  sure  I  would  set  the  Apingi  people 
crazy.  Tliej^  w^ould  certainly  fall  down  and  worship  her 
as  a  beautiful  and  unknown  spirit  that  had  risen  out  of 
some  clear  and  limpid  stream  which  meanders  through 
the  forest. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

I   DISCOVER   A    GALAGO'S    LAIR. — CAPTURE   OF   THE   GALAGO. 
TWO   BABY   GALAGOS. 

One  afternoon,  after  thinking  over  all  these  things, 
I  went  all  alone  into  the  forest,  for  I  was  tired  of  the 
noise  of  the  people,  and  wanted  to  reflect  seriously  upon 
my  future  movements.  Suddenly,  while  walking  slowly 
along,  I  came  to  the  foot  of  a  tree,  which  at  once  at- 
tracted my  attention,  so  that  I  stopj)ed  to  examine  it.  It 
was  old,  not  very  tall,  but  thick  in  the  trunk,  and  full  of 
knots.  A  great  many  dead  branches  of  other  trees  had 
fallen  upon  it,  and  these  were  so  thick  that  they  prevented 
the  light  from  penetrating  below.  It  is  upon  such  trees 
and  in  their  hollows  that  night-animals  generally  retire 
for  the  day,  for  it  is  almost  dai-k  as  night  in  its  thick  re- 
cesses. So,  thinking  that  perhaps  I  should  find  some  new 
species  of  night-animal  hidden  in  such  a  collection  of 
dead  and  broken  limbs,  I  stooped,  and  tried  to  peer  into 
that  dense  and  tangled  mass.  First  I  tried  to  see  if  there 
were  any  snakes  hidden  there,  for  snakes  are  fond  of  such 
places.  Not  a  snake  could  be  seen ;  but  then  some  of 
them  are  not  discovered  so  easily,  for  they  are  of  the 
same  color  as  the  dead  branches,  and  among  those  which 
have  this  color  there  are  some  very  venomous  species. 
Nor  could  I  discover  any  traces  of  wild  cats. 

Suddenly  it  struck  me  that  just  where  tlie  branches 
parted  from  the  main  trunk  the  bark  seemed  somewhat 
more  sliining,  as  if  some  little  wild  ;niiiiiiil  was  in  the 

E 
• 


98  ^y  APING  I  KINOD  OM. 

habit  of  climbing  every  day  to  the  same  spot.  I  looked 
carefully  in  that  direction,  but  iiotliing  was  to  be  seen. 
There  must  be,  certainly,  a  hole  in  the  tree,  I  thought. 
Just  by  that  tree  hung  a  big  creeper,  as  big  as  a  large 
rope,  strong  enough  to  hold  the  mast  of  a  ship,  and  by 
climbing  it  I  could  just  go  up  and  get  to  the  top  of  the 
tree.  I  felt  that  I  must  ascend ;  but,  before  doing  it,  I 
took  again  a  sharp  look,  for  I  did  not  care  at  all  to  put 
my  hand  on  a  shining  snake,  or  to  have  one  droj)  down 
upon  me.  To  make  still  more  sure,  I  threw  up  a  piece 
of  wood  into  the  thickest  part  of  the  branches.  After 
waiting  a  little  while,  and  seeing  that  nothing  stirred,  I 
prepared  myself  to  ascend.  My  gun  was  bothering  me. 
It  seemed  as  if  I  could  not  possibly  ascend  with  it,  even 
after  strapping  it  on  my  shoulder,  and  yet  I  did  not  care 
to  leave  it  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  for  in  these  forests  you 
have  to  look  out  sharp,  as  you  do  not  Imow  when  your 
enemies  may  be  near.  It  is  true,  I  had  my  revolvers  on 
my  side,  and,  after  some  hesitation,  I  concluded  to  try, 
any  how.  The  distance  was  not  more  than  ten  feet,  and 
the  thick  rope  of  creepers  made  the  ascent  tolerably  eas3\ 
Before  ascending,  I  looked  all  round  to  see  that  no 
savage  was  lurking  near,  and  then  began  to  climb  up. 
It  was  rather  hard  work,  after  all,  in  despite  of  the  sup- 
port the  thick  creeper  afforded  me.  I  could  not  make 
up  my  mind  to  leave  my  gun  behind,  and  it  annoyed 
me  a  great  deal  by  getting  entangled  in  the  branches, 
and  my  revolvers  hung  heavily  from  my  belt ;  but  I  was 
bound  to  go  up  and  see  what  was  there.  The  hope  of 
discovering  some  animal  unknown  to  naturalists  gave  me 
strength  to  do  things  which  in  my  ordinary  moments  I 
thought  myself  incapable  of  achieving. 


I  TAKE  COURAGE.  99 

At  last  1  reached  the  forked  part  of  the  tree,  and 
found  I  was  not  mistaken.  A  hollow  was  there,  and  by 
the  appearance  of  the  opening  there  was  no  doubt  but 
that  some  Httle  wild  animal  must  make  it  its  hiding-place. 

Now  came  the  rub.  The  idea  of  putting  my  hand  in- 
side of  that  dark  hole  was  not  very  pleasant,  for  I  did 
not  know  what  kind  of  creature  might  be  hiding  there. 
Ko  doubt  it  had  four  good  canines  wliich  might  go 
through  my  hands  as  if  they  were  paper.  I  confess  I 
did  not  relish  the  thought.  How  was  it  that  I  did  not 
think  of  this  before  I  ascended  the  tree  ?  I  was  in  a  sad 
quandary,  and  did  not  know  what  to  do.  Now  that  I 
had  reached  the  part  of  the  tree  where  I  wanted  to  be, 
after  so  much  trouble,  I  did  not  care  to  go  down  and 
have  taken  the  trouble  for  nothing ;  besides,  who  knew 
whether  some  pretty  and  unknown  animal  might  not  be 
hiding  there  ?  This  last  idea  gave  me  courage,  and  I  im- 
mediately sought  in  my  head  the  best  means  either  to 
capture  or  kill  the  animal.  First  I  took  from  my  belt 
one  of  my  revolvers,  and  then  looked  down  carefully  into 
the  hole  to  see  if  I  could  perceive  the  bottom  of  it,  and 
thus  discover  what  was  there.  Suddenly  I  perceived 
two  big,  bright  red  eyes,  which  seemed  to  send  fire  at 
me.  It  must  be  a  galago,  I  thought.  These  little  fellows 
have  shaqD  little  teeth,  and  can  bite  splendidly,  and  make 
you  feel  that  tliey  can  hurt  you.  But  I  must  try  to  cap- 
ture instead  of  killing  it,  and  then  try  to  tame  it  and 
study  its  habits. 

The  hollow  was  only  about  fifteen  inches  deep.  I  was 
all  alone,  and  I  wished  I  had  somebody  with  me,  then 
we  could  have  managed  it  more  easily. 

I  immediately  put  my  foot  on  the  o})euing  of  tlie  laii" 


i  00  ^^  APIXGI  KINOD  OM. 

of  the  galago  so  that  he  could  not  escape,  then  taking 
from  the  inside  of  my  hat  two  pocket-handkerchiefs 
which  I  used  to  protect  my  head  from  the  heat  of  the  sun 
when  I  was  under  its  rays,  I  put  them  round  my  hand, 
so  that  when  I  tied  the  little  fellow  fast  his  teeth  would 
not  go  through. 

Not  far  from  me  there  was  a  little  branch  from  wiiich 
I  could  cut  a  nice  little  forked  stick.  Taking  the  big 
hunting-knife  that  hung  in  my  belt,  I  cut  the  branch. 
It  was  just  the  thing  I  wanted.  If  I  could  put  the  fork 
on  its  neck,  then  I  could  with  the  other  hand  manage 
more  safely  the  taking  of  the  little  fellow  out  of  his  lair, 
for  no  doubt  he  would  make  a  desperate  struggle. 

So  I  took  off  my  foot  from  the  opening,  and  down 
went  my  forked  stick;  the  little  fellow  whisked  about  in  a 
lively  manner,  but  soon  he  was  caught,  and  began  to  (;ut 
up  such  capers  with  his  hind  legs,  aiKl  tried  so  hard  to 
get  away,  that  I  did  not  know  if  I  should  ever  be  able  to 
handle  it.  But,  putting  my  other  arm  down  into  the 
hole,  I  took  a  iirm  grip  of  the  fellow  by  the  neck,  and  I 
can  assure  you  that  I  held  him  hard,  for  I  had  not  much 
confidence  in  the  wrapping  of  my  hand,  and  I  was  dread- 
fully afraid  I  would  get  a  bite  from  the  little  rascal,  and 
be  obliged  to  let  go  my  hold.  I  got  it  safely  out  at  last, 
though  it  made  efforts  to  get  away,  and  seized  both  of 
my  shirt-sleeves  with  its  little  paws.  But  I  held  it  firm- 
ly, and  then  perceived  it  was  a  female,  and  that  she  had 
young  ones.  Immediately  I  opened  the  bag  where  I 
kept  my  bullets,  and  in  it  I  put  the  galago,  and  shut  it 
again.  Then  once  more  I  put  in  my  hand,  and  soon 
brought  up  two  very  tiny  little  fellows.  They  were  very 
pretty,  with  their  soft,  beautiful  fur ;  but  I  was  a  little 


DEATH  OF  THE  YOUNG  OALAOOS.  ly^ 

sorry  they  were  so  very  yoimg,  as  they  would  be  harder 
to  raise. 

I  descended  the  tree,  delighted  with  my  day's  work, 
and  started  at  once  for  the  village  with  my  capture. 
On  arriving  at  home  I  immediately  fixed  a  kind  of  cage, 
and  put  the  galago  and  her  young  in  it.  This  was  mere- 
ly a  temporary  arrangement,  aud  my  first  care  was  to 
construct  a  permanent  home  for  my  new  pets.  Mean- 
while I  kept  them  in  a  box.  Their  house  was  quite 
ready  for  them  the  next  day,  and  they  seemed  quite 
pleased  with  the  change.  I  wanted  especially  to  take 
great  care  of  the  little  ones,  in  the  hopes  of  taming  them. 
But  three  days  after  their  capture  they  died.  The  poor 
mother  seemed  very  forlorn  and  lonely  after^vard.  How 
forlorn  her  mate  must  have  been  when,  on  his  return  to 
the  tree,  he  found  his  home  deserted !  He  must  have 
wandered  all  that  niglit  in  search  of  her  and  of  his  young 
ones,  or  perhaps  he  knew  at  once  that  some  perfidious 
enemy  had  despoiled  his  house. 

Now  all  my  liopes  rested  on  the  old  one.  For  the 
first  few  days  she  would  only  eat  at  night,  and  her  food 
was  chiefly  ripe  plantains  and  bananas,  and  a  few  berries 
from  the  forest.  Afterward  she  began  to  eat  in  the  day- 
time, and  would  even  take  food  from  my  hands.  She 
was  particularly  fond  of  bananas.  Then  I  made  a  little 
coHar  and  put  it  round  her  neck,  and  tied  her  by  a  long 
string  near  my  bed.  She  would  keep  awake  the  whole 
niglit,  and  make  a  desperate  war  on  tlie  roaches  and  oth- 
er insects.  The  broad  daylight  seemed  to  hurt  lier  eyes, 
and  she  would  shut  tliem  up  ;  but  at  night  was  quite  an- 
other animal,  and  much  more  lively.  One  evening,  by  a 
very  dim  light,  I  watched  her,  and  saw  how  (piickly  she 


102 


MY  APIXGI  KINGDOM. 


would  seize  the  roaches.     She  was  so  light-footed  that 
she  could  not  be  heard. 

Now  I  must  give  you  a  description  of  the  galago.  I 
must  tell  you  that  the  animal  possesses  one  of  the  soft- 
est fiu-s  I  know.  The  natives  use  its  skin  to  keep  their 
powdered  fetiches  in.  Its  face  is  full  of  expression,  the 
eyes  being  very  large  for  the  little  head ;  the  ears  are  al- 
most transparent,  the  skin  being  very  thin,  stand  upright, 
and  are  large  for  the  size  of  the  head.  The  eyes  shine 
brightly,  and  during  the  day  have  a  reddish  appearance. 
Like  all  night-animals,  they  can  see  much  better  in  the 
dark  than  in  the  daytime.     The  tail  is  somewhat  bushy. 


The  picture  of  a  galago 
will  give  you  an  excellent 
idea  of  what  the  animal  is 
like.  A  large  specimen  is 
of  the  size  of  a  little  puny 
cat. 

The  galago  being  a  noc- 
turnal animal,  as  soon  as 


■'^- 


m.^, 


';i\r 


TITE   GALAGO. 


THE  OLD  GAL  AGO  SKEDADDLES.  jqo 

darkness  makes  its  appearance,  it  prepares  itself  to  go 
out  of  its  lair  in  search  of  food.  It  loves  to  feed  upon 
insects,  such  as  cockroaches,  etc. ;  but,  besides  insects,  it 
feeds  on  the  fi-uits,  berries,  and  nuts  of  the  forest.  Long 
before  daylight  it  retires  to  its  lair,  and  remains  there 
dm-ing  the  whole  day.  It  climbs  about  on  trees  from 
branch  to  branch  like  a  monkey,  and  uses  its  fore  feet 
like  hands,  as  the  monkey  does,  only  it  is  far  from  being 
as  agile  as  a  monkey. 

One  fine  morning  I  looked  for  the  little  galago,  but 
she  was  not  to  be  found.  The  string  that  held  her  had 
broken  during  the  night,  and  she  had  skedaddled  for 
parts  unknown  in  the  forest.  I  have  often  thought  that 
if  the  galagos  have  a  language  of  their  own,  my  prison- 
er will  have  strange  tales  to  tell  of  her  captivity,  and  the 
only  thing  I  could  do  after  her  flight  was  to  wish  that 
she  might  be  happy  once  more  in  the  woods,  and  that 
she  might  fiiid  her  mate  again. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

JACK,  THE  MONKEY.  —  HUNTING  MONKEYS  WITH  DOGS.  — 
GREAT  FIGHT  BETWEEN  TWO  DOGS  AND  A  NKAGO. — CAP- 
TURE OF  A  YOUNG  NKAGO.^I  GIVE  HIM  THE  NAME  OB 
JACK. 

"While  in  the  Apiiigi  coniitry,  I  had  a  queer  little 
fi'iend  of  which  you  have  not  heard  yet.  That  friend 
was  a  little  monkey  which  I  had  captured  some  time 
ao;o.  It  went  by  the  name  of  Jack ;  or  sometimes  was 
called  Jack  Nkago,  on  account  of  his  species  being  called 
Nkago  by  the  natives.  Jack  was  a  dear  little  fellow,  be- 
longing to  a  family  of  monkeys  called  commonly  by  our- 
selves Mangabey,  and,  as  he  has  been  traveling  with  me 
for  a  long  while,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  you  would 
like  to  hear  about  him — how  I  captured  him,  how  I 
raised  him,  and  how  I  made  a  kind  of  civilized  boy  of 
him.  Now  let  me  tell  you  that  Jack  was  a  great  friend 
of  mine,  and  wherever  I  traveled  he  traveled  also. 

I  must  relate  to  you  my  first  acquaintance  with  young 
Jack.  One  day  that  I  felt  very  hungry  while  in  the 
Apingi  country,  I  started  for  a  hunt  in  the  woods,  and  I 
thought  how  nice  it  would  be  if  I  could  kill  a  monkey. 
I  had  taken  with  me  friend  Okabi,  with  whom  you  are 
so  well  acquainted,  and  who  is  a  good  hunter ;  and,  as 
we  left  the  village,  I  said  to  Okabi, "  I  hope  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  kill  a  monkey."     He  replied  at  once. 


ATTACK  OF  THE  BOGS.  i05 

without  any  hesitation, "  We  shall  be  able  to  do  so." 
''  How  do  YOU  know  ?"  said  I.  "  My  monda  (fetich)  told 
me  so,"  was  his  immediate  answer. 

Okabi  took  tuo  of  his  queer  little  native  hunting  dogs 
witli  him,  for  it  was  a  time  of  the  year  when  monkeys 
frequently  come  down  from  the  trees  to  pick  up  nuts  and 
eat  some  kind  of  berries  which,  when  ripe,  fall  on  the 
ground.  At  first  I  was  averse  to  taking  the  dogs  with 
us,  but  they  had  been  so  well  trained  by  friend  Okabi  in 
hunting  dodges  that  I  consented.  One  of  these  dogs 
was  called,  I  remember,  Agounga,  and  the  other  Tpay. 
Both  of  them  were  of  rusty  color,  and  had,  like  the  rest 
of  the  breed  that  is  found  in  that  part  of  Africa,  straight 
ears,  a  somewhat  long  muzzle,  and  when  once  on  the 
hunting-path  chasing  game,  were  very  swift  in  their 
movements.  They  were  about  three  years  of  age,  rather 
fierce,  and  afraid  of  hardly  any  thing  excepting  leopards. 
They  would  bark  at  a  gorilla,  but  take  good  care  to  keep 
at  a  safe  distance.  These  two  dogs  were  always  the  first 
to  attack  the  game,  and,  among  their  other  exploits,  had 
captured  a  young  chimpanzee,  several  young  M^ld  boars, 
and  a  good  many  monkeys;  Agounga  showing, by  several 
big  scars,  that  the  monkeys  had  often  dealt  badly  with 
him,  and  that  it  required  a  good  deal  of  pluck  on  his 
part  to  conquer,  while  Ipay's  upper  lip  was  on  the  side 
divided  in  two,  showing  what  a  tremendous  bite  an  enor- 
mous monkey,  of  which  he  had  got  hold,  gave  liim.  Be- 
sides those  two  dogs,  friend  Okabi  had  four  more,  which, 
though  not  quite  so  cunning,  were  splendid  hunting-dogs. 
They  were  descended  from  a  family  of  dogs  which  had 
been  for  a  long  time  celebrated  as  good  hunters. 

I  can  assure  you  that  Agounga  and  Ipay  were  good 

E2 


106  ^Y  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

watch-dogs.  No  one  could  come  on  Okabi's  plantation 
without  their  barking  and  raising  "  the  Old  Harry."  It 
was  a  long  time  before  I  could  accustom  them  to  be 
friends  with  me,  and  I  concluded  that  they  could  not 
bear  the  sight  of  a  white  man,  as  is  often  the  case  with 
dogs  accustomed  to  African  masters.  I  suppose  that 
our  American  dogs  that  have  never  seen  a  black  man 
would  feel  exactly  the  same  in  a  reversed  case.  But 
after  a  good  deal  of  patience,  and  plenty  of  meat  and 
"  good  old  bones"  given  to  them  by  myself,  I  tamed 
them,  and  I  was  glad  of  it,  for  I  did  not  care  to  have 
these  dogs  always  after  me  when  I  made  my  appearance 
in  Okabi's  plantation,  as  I  was  always  in  dread  that  they 
would  come  and  take  a  small  piece  of  the  calf  of  my 
leg.  They  are  sly  as  can  be,  but,  liappil}^,  mad  dogs  are 
entirely  unknown  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  I  wonder 
sometimes  if  the  introduction  of  our  dogs  will  bring  the 
dreadful  disease  of  hydrophobia  with  it. 

Now  that  I  have  given  you  an  account  of  the  dogs 
Agounga  and  Ipay,  just  follow  me  into  the  forest,  and 
fancy  that  you  can  see  us.  Okabi  was  walking  ahead 
in  the  hunting  path  with  his  gun  in  hand,  and  I  was 
closely  following  him.  The  dogs  were  ahead  of  him 
about  two  or  three  yards.  We  had  gone  this  way  about 
two  hours,  when  suddenly  Okabi  stopped,  made  a  sign  to 
the  dogs  to  lie  still,  and  then  we  listened  attentively. 
Okabi's  quick  ear  had  detected  a  strange  noise  in  the 
woods.  I  heard  it  also.  The  noise  came  incontestably 
from  monkeys  walking  on  the  ground,  for  we  could  hear 
a  rustling  noise  among  the  dead  leaves  as  they  moved 
amongst  them  and  scattered  them,  to  get  the  berries  or 
nuts  that  had  %llen  underneath.     There  was  no  mistake. 


THE  DOG  a  ARE  BALL  Y  WO  UNBED.  j  Q  -^ 

The  dogs  were  ordered  silently  to  go  forward,  and  it  was 
time  that  they  should  do  so,  for  they  were  almost  ready 
to  bark.  They  also  had  heard  the  noise,  and  were  "  eager 
for  the  fray."  They  started  as  if  the  fire  was  after  them 
in  the  direction  of  the  noise,  and  were  so  light  and  quick 
in  their  movements  that  they  scarcely  produced  any 
sound  as  they  pursued  the  game  swiftly  through  the  jun- 
gle, which  was  in  a  part  of  the  forest  where  the  under- 
brush was  not  very  thick.  The  tall  trees  above  our  heads 
were  splendid. 

By-and-by  we  heard  the  dogs  bark,  and  then  the  sounds 
of  fighting  with  the  monkeys,  and  their  screams  of  pain 
as  the  dogs  bit  them ;  so  we  rush  as  fast  as  we  can  to- 
ward the  scene  of  action.  Ipay  and  Agounga  had  got 
hold  of  a  big  nkago,  as  big  as  one  of  themselves.  Its 
mouth  was  armed  with  four  large,  shai-p-pointed,  and 
dangerous-looking  canines,  which  had  already  inflicted 
some  fearful  bites  on  the  dogs,  covering  them  with  blood. 
The  fight  must  have  been  desperate  before  we  came  up, 
to  judge  fi-om  the  condition  of  the  dogs,  and  it  was  far 
from  being  finished.  As  we  made  our  appearance,  Ipay 
was  holding  the  monkey  by  the  back  of  its  neck,  while 
Agounga  held  it  firmly  by  the  back  above  its  tail.  The 
monkey  made  a  desperate  effort,  and  with  one  of  its 
strong  paws  seized  a  leg  of  Ipay,  which  it  put  into  its 
mouth  and  gave  a  fearful  bite.  A  scream  of  pain  came 
from  Ipay,  and  he  let  his  grip  go.  This,  instead  of 
frightening  the  dog,  made  him  more  furious  than  ever, 
and,  like  a  tiger,  he  seized  the  mbnkey  again,  but  not  be- 
fore it  had  given  him  another  awful  bite  on  the  neck, 
whicli  Ipay  did  not  seem  to  mind.  A  great  struggle 
ensued.     Tlie  nkago  disengaged  itself  once  more,  and 


108  MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 

again  Agounga  seized  it  by  the  neck  and  shook  it  as  hard 
as  he  could.  The  monkey  was  losing  his  breath,  for  he 
had  fought  so  hard,  and  the  dogs  were  in  the  same  con- 
dition. I  wish  you  could  have  heard  the  noise — the  nka- 
go's  cries  and  moans,  the  dogs'  snarls  and  growlings, 
and  our  cries  of  encouragement.  It  was  an  exciting 
scene ;  and  the  racket,  as  it  resounded  through  the  for- 
est, was  almost  deafening.  The  dogs  were  perfectly  in- 
furiated, and  acted  as  if  bound,  provided  they  could  not 
kill  the  monkey,  not  to  let  him  go  till  we  came  to  their 
assistance.  They  would  have  rather  been  cut  to  pieces 
by  the  powerful  canines  of  the  nkago  than  do  that. 

The  fight  was  desperate.  The  dogs  had  tasted  blood, 
and  had  become  ferocious.  I  expect  that  they  were  very 
glad  to  see  us  come  to  the  rescue,  especially  when  Okabi, 
with  a  powerful  blow  of  a  dead  branch  of  a  tree  he  had 
found,  hit,  with  a  strong  arm,  the  head  of  the  poor  nkago, 
and  struck  him  senseless.  Okabi  then  seized  the  nkago 
by  the  tail,  and  hurled  its  body  with  tremendous  force 
twice  against  a  tree,  thereby  killing  it  outright.  The 
dogs,  though  covered  with  blood  and  badl}^  wounded, 
were  frantic,  and  acted  as  if  they  would  like,  if  they 
could,  to  devour  the  monkey.  Okabi  allowed  them  to 
lick  the  unfortunate  animal's  blood.  Poor  dogs!  they 
were  badly  cut,  and  after  the  excitemeiit  was  over  they 
looked  thoroughly  exhausted. 

This  nkago  proved  to  be  a  large  and  old  female,  and  I 
at  once  perceived  that  she  must  have  had  a  young  one 
with  her.  Suddenly  I  heard  a  little  plaintive  cry,  and, 
raising  my  head  from  a  surgical  operation  upon  which  I 
was  engaged  on  Ipay's  leg,  I  saw,  on  the  top  of  a  little 
tree  not  far  off, "  a  child"  nkago.     He  looked  at  us  with 


CAPTURE  OF  A  YOUNG  MOXKEY.  109 

Lis  frightened  eyes,  and  we  looked  at  him.  lie  tried  to 
go  higlier  up  the  tree,  but  could  not  do  so. 

"  Hallo,  Okabi !"  I  shouted,  '•  let  iis  capture  this  little 
felloAv.  I  am  sure  it  is  the  '  child'  of  the  one  we  have 
killed."  The  dogs  once  more  became  infuriated,  j^  goun- 
ga  and  Ipay  barked  with  anger,  and  jumped  up  at  the 
tree  as  high  as  they  could,  evidently  forgetting  their 
wounds.  Their  eyes  were  glistening;  and  woe  to  the 
little  fellow  if  he  fall  on  the  ground,  for  I  was  sure  he 
would  be  strangled  by  the  dogs  before  we  could  have 
time  to  rescue  him.  The  more  we  told  the  dogs  to  keep 
still,  the  louder  they  barked,  and  the  more  fierce  they 
seemed  to  be.  At  last  Okabi  cut  the  branch  of  a  tree 
for  a  whip,  and,  threatening  to  give  them  a  sound  thrash- 
ing with  it,  drove  them  a  little  way  off  by  the  flourish 
of  his  menacing  weapon. 

The  little  fellow  was  so  small  that  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  he  could  move  from  one  branch  to  another. 
Being  of  much  less  weight  than  friend  Okabi,  I  ascended 
the  tree,  which  could,  however,  hardly  bear  even  my 
weight,  and  then  came  the  tug.  The  diminutive  animal 
was  perfectly  frightened  ;  fright  gave  him  strength,  and 
he  moved  quickly  from  branch  to  branch.  At  last  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  hold  of  the  end  of  his  tail.  He  gave 
a  shriek,  but  I  was  determined  not  to  let  him  go,  and, 
gradually  dragging  him  toward  me,  I  gave  him  a  grip 
on  the  neck  with  the  left  hand,  and  held  him  firmly.  He 
tried  to  bite,  but  it  was  of  no  use. 

How  nice  the  little  baby  monkey  we  had  captured 
was!  He  was  a  dear  little  felloAv ;  and,  after  thinking 
for  a  while,  I  said  to  Okabi,  "Let  us  call  him  Jacl'.'' 
So  our  new  friend  afterward  was  always  called"  J(:/t'Z'." 


■^^^Q  MT  APING  I  KING  J)  OM. 

For  a  while  I  looked  at  this  queer  little  creature.  He 
had  a  bluish-black  face,  and  his  little  ears  looked  won- 
derfully in  shape  like  the  ears  of  a  human  being.  His 
lips  were  small,  and  when  he  opened  his  miniature 
mouth  he  showed  a  few  half -grown  teeth.  His  long,  lit- 
tle hands  were  so  queer  1  his  fingers  were  slender,  and 
his  nails  looked  wonderfully  like  human  nails.  His  eyes 
appeared  somewhat  dark.  His  body,  with  the  exception 
of  his  face,  and  the  palms  of  his  hands  and  feet,  was  cov- 
ered with  hair,  and  his  fingers  had  short  hair  between 
the  joints.  He  had,  like  his  mother,  a  crown  of  brown 
or  maroon  hair  on  the  top  of  his  head,  while  the  eyelids 
had  a  white  hue,  which  gave  him  a  singular  appearance. 
I  wondered  why,  after  all,  some  monkeys  looked  so  much 
like  human  beings. 

We  took  him  home,  and,  after  a  few  hours,  he  seemed 
less  frightened.  I  was  very  glad  it  so  happened  at  the 
time  that  there  was  a  goat  with  me  that  had  a  kid,  so 
poor  little  Jack  was  sure  to  have  some  milk  to  feed  upon, 
and  I  wondered  if  the  goat  would  not  adopt  Jack  also 
for  her  own.  That  same  day  I  tried  to  make  Jack  suck 
the  goat, but  could  not  succeed, the  goat  making  too  much 
fuss  about  allowing  the  little  nkago  to  have  the  rights  of 
an  offspring.  When  she  saw  him  she  would  raise  her- 
self on  her  hind  legs,  and  butt  against  the  little  fellow, 
and  would  have  no  doubt  killed  Jack  if  I  had  not  taken 
care  of  him. 

For  a  few  days  I  gave  little  Jack  milk,  and  he  began 
to  know  me  well,  and  to  get  very  tame.  I  fetched  soft 
little  berries  every  morning  for  him,  and  how  glad  he 
was  when  he  saw  me  coming  with  them  !  After  a  week 
he  did  not  care  to  taste  milk  at  all  Water  and  berries 
were  his  only  food. 


JACK  AND  I  BECOME  FRIEXDS.  \\\ 

Jack  grew  bigger  and  bigger  exery  day,  and  at  last 
came  to  be  a  strong  monkey.  1  know  that  you  will  like 
to  hear  a  great  deal  abont  Jack,  how  he  grew  np,  and 
wliat  he  did. 

Jack  and  I  became  great  friends.  He  would  go  with 
me  in  my  rambles,  and  I  can  not  tell  you  how  useful  he 
was  sometimes  to  me.  I  remember  once  I  was  in  the 
woods  without  food  and  very  hungry.  As  I  walked  I 
saw  a  tree  loaded  with  a  bright  kind  of  red  fruit,  and  I 
wondered  if  it  were  good  to  eat.  Jack  was  following 
me,  and  I  gave  him  some  of  the  berries,  which  he  imme- 
diately devoured.  Now  I  must  tell  you  that  monkeys 
are  said  never  to  make  a  mistake  in  their  food,  and  that 
they  never  injure  themselves  by  eating  poisonous  fruit. 
"What  was  good  for  Jack  was,  I  thought,  good  for  me. 
So  I  tasted  the  berries,  and,  finding  them  to  be  of  a  pret- 
ty good  flavor,  I  ate  heartily  of  them,  without  any  fear  of 
being  poisoned. 

Jack  used  to  like  to  be  petted,  and  now  and  then  would 
delight  in  a  frolic  with  me.  Sometimes  you  might  have 
seen  him  on  the  top  of  my  head  busily  engaged  in  tum- 
bling my  hair;  next  he  would  be  on  my  back  pulling 
my  clothes  ;  and  then  again  he  would  come  into  my  hut 
and  run  away  with  my  shoes,  and  carry  them  outside, 
sometimes  putting  them  where  they  could  not  be  found 
excepting  after  a  thorougli  search. 

He  was  full  of  mischief,  and  would  break  any  thing 
that  was  in  his  way.  It  was  of  no  use  to  lock  up  bottles, 
plates,  or  cups.  He  must  have  his  nose  in  everj^  tiling, 
and  put  his  fingers  into  every  pie.  One  day  I  heard  a 
great  crash  at  Washington.  It  was  in  tlie  pantry.  Jack 
had  succeeded  in  getting  in  there,  and  in  pulling  down 


112 


31 Y  AFIXai  KIXGUOM. 


JACK    IM.AYl.NG    TKIOKIS. 


upon  liimself  a  pile  of  plates.  After  lie  had  done  this 
mischief  he  decamped,  and  did  not  make  his  appearance 
till  the  next  morning,  for  he  knew  very  well  that  he 
would  get  a  flogging.  There  was  a  little  grove  of  trees 
near  Washington,  and  there  he  disappeared.  When  I 
went  there  to  fetch  him  he  dodged  me,  for  Jack  was  a 
great  dodger. 

Of  course  jou  will  say, "  How  came  Jack  to  be  in  your 
settlement  at  Washington  ?"  Jack  Nkago  was  on  his  way 
to  JSlew  York,  and  was  waiting  there  for  a  vessel  to  take 
him.  I  know  that  you  will  be  pleased  when  I  tell  you 
that  Jack  at  last  reached  New  York.  There  were  no 
amounts  of  capers  he  did  not  carry  on  on  the  voyage. 
The  galley,  or  kitchen,  was  the  object  of  his  special  at- 
tention from  morning  to  night,  for  he  knew  that  there, 


J  A  CK  XKA  G  U  BE  A  CUES  NEW  YUJiK.  \\'^ 

or  round  it,  food  was  to  be  found.  lie  would  watch  for 
the  cook  to  get  out,  and  then  down  the  ropes  Jack  would 
go,  seize  something,  and  rush  up  again,  the  cook  hard 
after  him  with  a  broomstick.  Here,  when  out  of  the 
cook's  way,  he  would  make  faces  at  him,  gi\e  a  bite  or 
two  at  what  he  had  stolen,  and  then  grin  once  more  at 
the  cook,  as  if  he  would  say,  "  I  do  not  care  for  you  ;  you 
can  not  catch  me ;"  and  then  he  would  make  more  faces, 
and  up  to  the  very  top  of  the  mast  he  would  go,  stay 
there  a  little  while,  and  then  jump  from  one  rope  to  an- 
other. He  was  a  great  friend  of  the  sailors,  and  would 
be  by  them  at  their  meals.  He  had  no  objection  to  tea 
and  coffee  well  sweetened,  to  a  piece  of  sea-bread,  or  a 
cracker.  If  he  was  not  hungry,  he  had  on  each  side  of 
his  mouth  a  pouch  (a  natural  bag)  where  he  could  store 
his  food  till  the  time  when  he  felt  like  eating  again. 

These  nkagos  have  big  pouches,  and  find  them  very 
useful.  Jack  seemed  to  have  an  especially  big  one, 
which  had  an  unlimited  power  of  extension,  to  store  his 
food  in,  for  when  I  gave  him  something  nice,  and  he 
was  not  hungry,  he  would  store  it  away,  and  then  cat  it 
at  leisure  afterward.  When  the  pouch  v;as  full  it  look- 
ed very  queer. 

When  Jack  Nkago  reached  the  port  of  New  York,  that 
city  seemed  to  be  quite  a  new  sight  to  him,  and  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  African  viHacres  he  had  been  accustomed 
to ;  and,  when  at  first  he  was  taken  through  the  street, 
he  was  very  much  frightened.  He  did  not  know  what 
to  make  out  of  the  horses,  but  soon  got  over  his  terror. 
At  last  I  gave  Jack  to  a  friend  of  mine  who  had  some 
nice  girls  and  boys,  and  Jack  departed  for  liis  new  home 
in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  there,  I  assure  you,  he  had  a 


114  MY  APINOI  KINQD  OM. 

glorious  time.  It  was  at  my  friend  Mr.  Rankin's,  who 
had  a  big  garden  for  him  to  play  in,  trees  to  frolic  upon, 
and  boys  and  girls  to  be  his  playmates. 

One  day  he  got  out  into  the  street,  and  then  upon  the 
trees  on  the  sidewalk,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  friend 
William  could  coax  him  to  come  down. 

Jack  Nkago,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  turned  out  to  be  a 
great  thief,  and  I  remember  the  last  time  I  saw  him  in 
one  of  his  depredatory  expeditions.  It  was  in  my  friend's 
garden,  and  he  was  just  coming  out  of  the  kitchen,  hold- 
ing a  big  tomato  in  his  mouth,  and  two  others  which  he 
carried  in  each  hand.  This  was,  of  course,  all  he  could 
possibly  steal  at  once,  as  he  could  not  take  any  more,  and 
he  had  to  walk  off  on  his  hind  legs  in  an  almost  upright 
position,  making  for  some  quiet  place  where  he  could  eat 
and  hide  his  plunder  in  safety ;  but  when  lie  heard  my 
voice  shouting  to  him  "  Jack  Nkago,  what  are  you  doing  ?" 
he  dropped  one  of  the  tomatoes  in  a  fright,  and  ran  away 
to  hide. 

Several  years  have  passed  since  those  events  in  Jack 
Nkago's  life  took  place.  Poor  Jack  is  now  no  more. 
He  is  dead ;  but  I  shall,  for  a  long  time  to  come,  remem- 
ber him. 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

THE   WONDEKFUL   WHITE    ANTS.  —  THEIE   DEPREDATIONS. 

THEIR  CURIOUS   BUILDINGS. — I  DESTROY  THEM. — THE  SOL- 
DIERS   AND   THE   WORKERS. HOW   THEY    TAKE    CARE    OF 

THE  WOUNDED  AND  YOUNG. 

You  and  I,  young  folks,  have  been  traveling  together 
for  a  long  time  in  an  almost  impenetrable  forest  of  Equa- 
torial Africa.  We  have  seen  many  strange  things  of 
which  we  never  dreamed  before,  and  we  have  studied 
the  habits  of  man,  beast,  and  insect.  At  almost  every 
step  we  take  in  that  wild  country  we  meet  with  new  ob- 
jects to  gladden  our  eyes  and  cheer  us  in  our  lonely  hours ; 
and  now  I  am  to  describe  to  you  one  of  the  most  won- 
derful insects  with  which  we  had  become  acquainted 
during  our  wandering ;  and  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
is  based  upon  days  of  observation,  which  were  carefully 
noted  in  my  journal.  The  study  of  the  termites,  or 
white  ants,  was  most  fascinating  to  me,  and  helped 
to  spend  very  many  pleasant  hours,  and  I  hope  the  de- 
scription of  these  wonderful  creatures  will  be  as  interest- 
ing to  you  as  they  were  to  me.  The  only  fear  I  have  is 
that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  describe  the  settlements  and 
habits  of  these  strange  insects  as  well  as  I  would  like  to 
do.  I  not  only  wish  to  amuse  you,  but  I  wish  to  instruct 
you. 

First  let  me  tell  you  that  there  was  nothing  in  that 
great  country  of  Equatorial  Africa  that  gave  me  more 


]^1(;  MY  APING  I  KING  D  031. 

trouble  than  these  white  ants.  They  were  the  silent 
enemies  of  which  I  was  always  afraid,  I  was  in  con- 
stant dread  of  them.  Not  that  I  was  afraid  that  they 
would  attack  me,  for  they  are  very  inoffensive  to  man 
personally  ;  but  they  are  the  greatest  sneak-thieves  that 
can  be  found  in  the  world,  and  nothing  but  the  most 
constant  watching  and  care  can  keep  your  property  out 
of  their  reach,  and  even  with  the  greatest  vigilance  they 
still  get  the  better  of  you  sometimes,  for  their  ways  of 
getting  at  your  things  are  so  sly  and  so  difficult  of  dis- 
covery that  it  is  often  impossible  to  find  them  out  till  it 
is  too  late.  Frequently  they  came  from  under  the  ground, 
and  the  richest  man  in  worldly  goods  may  become  a  poor 
fellow  before  he  knows  it.  I  need  not  tell  you  that,  as  I 
had  to  travel  with  a  great  many  goods  of  which  these  lit- 
tle sly  robbers  and  destroyers  were  very  fond,  I  had  to  be 
on  the  alert  all  the  time,  but  in  despite  of  all  my  watchful- 
ness they  would  now  and  then  succeed  in  destroying  my 
property.  Many  and  many  a  time  they  got  the  best  of  me ; 
and,  before  I  describe  these  wonderful  little  creatures  to 
you,  I  must  tell  you  how  I  made  my  first  acquaintance 
with  them.  Of  course,  in  the  beginning  of  my  arrival  in 
Africa  I  was  rather  "  a  green  horn."  I  did  not  know  much, 
and  1  did  not  know  how  many  sly  and  silent  enemies  I 
had  to  contend  with  ;  so  do  not  be  astonished  at  my  mis- 
haps. The  first  time  I  discovered  that  these  white  ants 
had  destroyed  my  property  I  did  not  feel  in  a  very  pleas- 
ant mood,  especially  as  my  stock  of  goods  and  clothing 
was  rather  low. 

One  fine  Sunday  morning,  which  was,  as  at  home,  a 
day  of  rest  for  me,  I  thought  I  would  dress  up  finely. 
I  knew  that  I  had  a  little  pine  chest  where  I  kept  some 


THE  WHITE  ANTS  BESTBO  T  MY  CLOTHES  WJ 

very  nice  shirts  that  were  still  fresh  with  the  iron  and 
starch  of  home.  These  were,  of  course,  only  put  on  for 
great  occasions,  such  as  the  Fourth  of  July,  my  birthday, 
or  when  I  wanted  to  impress  a  king  with  my  greatness. 
In  that  latter  case  I  would  let  my  shirt  fall  over  my 
pantaloons,  for  the  effect,  in  the  eyes  of  these  wild  Afri- 
cans, was  still  more  beautiful,  and  often  I  w'anted  to  • 
please  them  and  not  myself. 

I  unlocked  the  chest  and  opened  it.  It  was  empty — 
there  was  no  mistake  about  it.  It  was  certainly  the  chest, 
and  the  contents  that  ought  to  have  been  in  it  were  writ- 
ten on  the  lid.  Only  a  few  days  before  I  had  opened 
it  and  put  in  letters  from  dear  friends,  for  it  happened 
to  be  handy  for  me  at  the  time.  There  could  be  no  mis- 
take ;  but  the  letters  had  also  disappeared. 

A  clear  sweep  had  been  made  of  all  the  contents  of 
the  chest.     Xot  a  single  thing  had  been  left  in  it ! 

Could  the  people  have  dared  to  rob  me  ?  No !  Be- 
sides, the  chest  was  locked. 

Shirts,  cotton  pantaloons,  cotton  socks — every  thing 
gone.  I  could  not  understand  the  mystery  at  first.  I 
was  puzzled,  and  am  sure  you  would  have  been  puzzled 
also.  When,  suddenly,  looking  carefully  at  the  chest,  I 
saw  streaks  in  the  wood  at  the  bottom  that  looked  cpieer, 
and  which  had  an  appearance  as  though  the  wood  had 
been  eaten  up  in  many  places;  and,  besides,  the  boards 
of  the  chest  were  full  of  little  black  spots.  When  I  saw 
at  the  bottom  the  buttons  which  had  been  on  my  panta- 
loons and  shirts,  the  mystery  became  greater.  I  got  hold 
of  the  chest,  and  as  I  raised  it  I  saw  that  it  had  been 
perforated  in  many  places ;  the  bottom  was  almost  eaten 
up  outside,  and  nothing  but  a  mere  shell  was  left  of  the 


118  MY  APINGI  EINGD  OM. 

plank  which  was  the  bottom  of  the  chest.  The  mystery 
began  to  get  clearer  to  my  mind  when  a  native  entered 
my  hut,  and,  as  he  saw  me,  in  complete  bewilderment, 
still  looking  at  the  chest,  he  shouted, "  The  nchellellay 
have  eaten  your  things." 

The  nchellellay  were  white  ants. 

I  tell  you  I  did  not  like  it  at  all  to  have  all  my  fine 
things  eaten  by  the  white  ants.  I  wished  they  had  been 
all  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Good-by  to  my  fine  cloth- 
ing and  my  good  show  before  the  kings. 

They  had  come  from  their  subterranean  abode  I'ight 
under  the  chest,  eaten  the  wood  at  the  bottom,  entered 
through  the  crevices  they  had  made,  and  then  devoured 
every  thing.  Two  or  three  days  were  more  than  sufii- 
cient  for  them  to  commit  the  havoc.  In  fact,  they  are, 
in  many  districts,  the  pest  of  the  country,  and  it  is  a  good 
thing  the  natives  have  no  clothing  to  take  care  of. 

The  incident  I  have  just  related  was  my  first  acquaint- 
ance with  the  termites,  or  wliite  ants ;  but,  believe  me,  it 
was  not  the  last,  and  I  have  had  my  things  destroyed  by 
them  many  and  many  times  since. 

Now  I  must  describe  the  white  ants  to  you.  There 
are  several  species  of  termites  in  the  equatorial  regions 
of  Africa,  each  bijilding  a  different  kind  of  structure, 
which  form  most  conspicuous  objects  in  the  regions  I 
have  explored.  These  ants  are  of  wonderful  diversity, 
both  in  the  form  of  the  body  and  head,  and  in  their  ar- 
chitectural tastes  and  the  manner  they  build  their  shel- 
ter ;  but  all  have  a  common  aflinity  in  their  intense  dis- 
like to  light,  and  consequently  their  working  at  their 
building  during  the  night. 

All  the  termites  are  miners,  and  they  live  in  vast  cole- 


THE  SPECIES  OF  WHITE  AXTS.  \\^ 

nies  or  settlements,  which  I  will  endeavor  to  describe  to 
you.  The  "termes  bellicosus"  form  buildings  which 
sometimes  reach  the  height  of  fifteen  and  twenty  feet, 
and  even  higher.  Just  think  of  the  amount  of  patience 
and  perseverance  it  requires.  How  well  built  these  settle- 
ments must  be,  for,  when  constructed,  they  last  for  years 

The  size  of  the  termes  bellicosus  is  about  half  an  inch 
or  a  little  more.  So,  for  the  sake  of  comparison,  let  us 
for  a  moment  calculate  what  sized  building  they  would 
make  if  they  were  of  the  same  proportions  as  man. 
These  buildings  would  be  more  than  a  mile  in  height ! 
Would  not  that  be  wonderful  ? 

I  have  studied  the  habits  of  four  species  of  termites, 
of  which  I  am  going  to  give  you  an  account.  These 
were  the  mushroom-hived  termites,  the  tree  termites,  the 
bark  termites,  and  the  forest  termites.  The  latter  is  a 
species  of  termes  bellicosus. 

Xow  I  will  commence  with  the  mushroom-hived  ants. 

This  species  forms  the  most  picturesque  building,  and 
in  some  districts  they  are  found  by  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  together,  for  tlie  most  part  on  the  open 
prairies  which  I  met  during  my  explorations.  I  remem- 
ber well  the  grandest  sight  I  saw  of  the  mushroom  build- 
ing. I  had  just  emerged  from  the  great  forest  into  an 
open  prairie,  situated  in  a  country  called  Otando,  which 
is  about  eighty  miles  south  of  the  equator,  when,  lo ! 
what  do  I  see  ?  All  over  the  country  an  immense  num- 
ber of  objects,  whicli  appear  to  me,  in  the  far  distance, 
like  gigantic  mushrooms.  These  are  scattered  by  thou- 
sands and  thousands,  and  are  built  by  what  I  have  call- 
ed the  Mushroom-hived  Termes.  On  the  following  page 
you  may  see  an  engraving  of  these  buildings. 


120 


MT  APINOI  KIN  an  UAI. 


MUSHKOO.M-UIVED   TEKME8   AND   TREE   TEEMITE8. 


They  have  exactly  the  shape  of  a  gigantic  mushroom, 
the  top  of  which  is  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  in  di- 
ameter, and  the  column  about  five  inches ;  the  total 
height  is  from  ten  to  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches. 

After  the  grass  has  been  burnt  the  country  presents  a 
most  extraordinary  appearance.  In  some  places  these 
hives  are  met  with  at  almost  every  step.  There  are  not 
two  exactly  of  the  same  proportions  as  they  appear  at  a 
distance,  and,  when  you  come  close  to  them,  their  differ- 
ence in  roundness,  or  sharpness  of  their  summits,  or  in 
the  thickness  of  the  column  is  manifested.  Not  only  do 
they  differ  in  shape,  but  some  are  very  much  lai-ger  tlian 
others,  as  you  may  see  by  the  engraving  before  you. 


JfA  TERIAL  OF  THE  B  UILDIXGS.  l  o  ^ 

Some  of  them  have  three  roofs,  connected  with  each 
other  by  a  cohimn,  the  top  roof  bemg  the  smallest.  See  I 
and  you  may  judge  how  strange  such  a  sight  was  to  me. 

Tliis  Otando  prairie  might  have  been  taken  for  a  big 
country  of  the  termites,  and  the  buildings  might  have 
been  called  the  cities  and  the  villages.  Now  and  then 
a  few  buildings,  very  close  together,  formed  a  cluster 
which  might  have  been  called  a  settlement ;  and,  indeed, 
I  have  not  made  my  mind  up  that  these  settlements,  or 
clusters,  do  not  communicate  with  each  other. 

Many  a  time  I  have  wished  that  I  could  understand 
the  white  ants,  and  wondered  if  they  had  a  language  of 
tlieir  own,  for  such  intelligence  as  you  will  see  by  the 
description  I  am  going  to  give  you  I  never  met  with  be- 
fore among  the  beasts  and  the  insects  I  had  studied. 

After  a  few  days  of  wonder  in  that  far  off  Otando 
prairie,  I  made  up  my  mind  not  to  leave  tlie  country  till 
at  least  I  could  learn  as  far  as  possible  the  mysterious 
ways  of  the  wliite  ants ;  and  now  let  us  go  to  work  to- 
gether, and  do  you  follow  me  in  my  work,  and  I  am  al- 
most sure  you  will  be  interested,  and  perhaps  you  will 
fancy  yourselves  really  to  be  with  me. 

You  will  ask  yourselves,  Of  what  are  these  mushroom- 
hived  buildings  made  ?  They  are  built  of  a  kind  of  mor- 
tar formed  of  the  earth  they  eat,  after  it  is  digested  in 
the  stomachs  of  the  ants,  which,  by  contact  witli  the  air, 
becomes  very  hard,  and  able  to  resist  for  years  the  storms 
of  rain  and  the  powerful  rays  of  the  sun.  The  buildings 
erected  by  the  different  species  of  termes  are  constructed 
to  protect  them  against  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather, 
against  their  enemies,  whicli  arc  very  numerous,  and 
which  include  many  predaceous  kinds  of  fellow-ants,  and 

F 


;^  2  2  ^^  APIXGI  KINGD  OM. 

especially  against  daylight ;  for  the  white  ants  can  not 
bear  daylight,  and  the  rays  of  the  hot  sun  kill  theui  out- 
right, often  in  less  than  half  a  minute. 

Early  one  morning  I  left  the  strange  village  where  I 
was,  taking  with  me,  besides  my  gun,  an  axe ;  and  so 
the  people  wondered  what  I  was  going  to  do,  though  none 
dared  to  follow  me,  as  they  were  all  afraid  of  me ;  for, 
alas !  the  plague  had  been  in  the  country,  and  I  was  ac- 
•  cused  of  bringing  death  and  desolation  with  me  ;  at  least 
some  believed  it,  wliile  I  am  happy  to  say  that  many  did 
not  believe  I  was  an  evil  spirit,  who  delighted  in  killing 
people  that  had  shown  me  nothing  but  kindness.  I  re- 
member how  sad  I  felt  to  think  that  any  of  these  be- 
nighted people  thought  such  things  of  me. 

I  came  soon  to  a  cluster  of  these  mushroom-hived 
buildings,  and  felled,  with  one  blow  of  the  axe,  one  of 
the  structures,  and  I  found  that  the  base  of  the  pillar 
rested  only  slightly  on  the  ground,  leaving  a  circular  hol- 
low foundation,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  a  ball  of  earth 
full  of  cells,  which  enters  the  centre  of  the  base  of  the  pil- 
lar, and  these  lower  cells  are  eagerly  defended  by  a  multi- 
tude of  the  soldier  class  of  ants,  which  I  took  first  to  be 
males,  all  striving  to  bite  the  intruder  with  their  pincer- 
like  jaws.  On  breaking  open  the  ball  of  which  I  have 
spoken  to  you,  which,  when  handled,  divided  itself  into 
three  parts,  I  found  tliem  full  of  very  young  white  ants  in 
different  stages  of  growth,  and  also  of  eggs.  The  young 
ones  were  of  a  milky-white  color. 

I  again  set  to  work — one,  two,  three  blows — and  break 
and  crush  the  upper  part  of  the  structure. 

What  do  I  see  ?     Cells  which,  for  the  first  time  since 
they  had  been  built,  had  seen  daylight.     There  were  a 


A  STRANGE  SCENE. 


123 


great  number  of  them,  all  communicating  with  each 
other.  The  inhabitants  of  these  dark  abodes  were  in 
great  dismay.  To  and  fro  they  moved  as  if  to  say,  What 
is  the  matter?  what  has  happened?  who  has  been  bold 
enouo-h  to  demolish  our  structures  ? 

These  inhabitants  were  queer  looking.  A  great  many 
of  them  had  tumbled  down  witli  the  ruins  and  debris, 
and  among  them  were  many  young  ones  and  a  number 
of  eggs. 

How  eagerly  I  looked,  and  how  strangely  every  thing 
appeared  to  me ! 

I  must  give  you  a  description  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
the  engraving  below  will  give  you  an  idea  of  their 
shape. 

First,  there  were  a  great  many  full-grown  individuals, 


us    lllL   OtLLO— <4Ltt.s,   bULDIKBS,  AND    W KRKtttS. 


124 


MT  APING  I  KINGDOM. 


who  were  armed  with  tremendous  long  pincers  or  nip- 
pers, which  could  inflict  very  painful  bites ;  these  I  took 
to  be  males,  but  they  were  soldiers.  You  will  see  after- 
wards why  they  are  called  soldiers. 

There  was  another  kind  much  shorter;  they  have  not 
elongated  nippers  like  the  soldiers,  but  have  very  bulky 
abdomens,  and  appeared  to  all  purpose  inoffensive ;  they 
were  of  a  yellowish  color,  with  a  grayish  tinge,  on  ac- 
count of  the  earth  or  mortar  they  had  in  their  abdomen. 
These  were  the  workers,  and  you  will  see  by-and-by  why 
they  are  called  -workers. 

These  two  apparently  distinct  species  had  tumbled 
down,  with  a  great  many  young  ones  of  different  sizes 
— some  so  young  tliat  they  could  not  walk — and  a  good 
many  wounded  by  the  breaking  of  the  building. 

After  looking  at  these  for  a  short  time,  I  examined  the 
cells  which  I  had  partly  demolished.  These  cells  were 
elongated,  and  no  two  were  exactly  of  the  same  shape. 
They  were  about  one  inch  in  length  more  or  less,  and  a 
third  of  an  inch  broad,  all  the  cells  communicating  with 
each  other  by  a  tunnel  or  corridor. 

Then  I  saw,  at  the  opening  of  each  cell  that  had  been 
partly  broken,  soldiers  who  came  from  the  inside  to  look 
on  and  see  what  was  the  matter.  They  only  came  to 
the  light,  and  then  retired. 

In  tlie  mean  time  a  great  scramble  had  taken  place 
amono;  the  white  ants  that  had  been  thrown  out  of  the 
cells  when  I  demolished  the  building ;  and  I  shall  never 
forget  how  astonislied  I  was  wlien  I  saw  them  suddenly 
wander  through  the  scene  of  tlie  battle-field,  if  I  may  use 
the  expression,  attending  to  their  sick  and  wounded. 
They  took  no   notice  of  those  that  were  dangerously 


BRINGINO  IN  THE  WOUKDED.  125 

wounded,  bat  carried  awav  only  those  that  were  not  be- 
yond hope.  Of  course  the  dead  were  left;  and  how 
careful  they  were  to  bring  into  the  cells  the  wounded 
and  young  ones  between  their  pincers !  I  was  perfectly 
amazed.  Human  beings  coming  out  of  a  railway  crash, 
OX  people  surrounding  houses  that  had  tumbled  down, 
could  not  have  developed  more  intelligence.  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  how  careful  the  workers  and  soldiers 
were  in  looking  for  the  womided  after  the  battle,  in 
bringing  in  the  wounded  and  the  young ! 

They  even  brought  in  those  that  were  too  young  to 
walk.  The  e2:o;s  were  brought  in  also  ;  all  were  carried 
into  the  interior  recess  of  unbroken  cells,  and  there  my 
sight  ended.     Oh,  how  I  wished  to  see  more ! 

This  transportation  of  the  wounded,  young  ones,  and 
eggs  was  but  a  short  work.  I  could  hardly  believe  my 
eyes,  for  so  many  had  come  to  the  rescue  from  the  in- 
side, which  added  a  great  deal  to  the  strength  of  those 
who  were  not  wounded  outside,  and  they  all  went  right 
to  work  with  as  much  system  as  if  nothing  had  happen- 
ed. Of  course  I  had  missed  a  good  deal  that  had  taken 
place  elsewhere  by  watching  this  operation.  So  I  de- 
molished another  shelter  with  my  axe,  and  paid  atten- 
tion to  something  else.  First  I  demolished  a  small  part 
of  the  building,  and,  as  soon  as  the  cells  were  broken,  a 
few  head  men  or  chiefs  were  seen ;  these  were  larger 
than  the  soldiers ;  each  one  moved  his  head  all  round 
the  aperture,  and  then  disappeared  into  the  dark  gal- 
lei-ies,  apparently  without  depositing  any  thing,  for  I 
looked  on  closely  with  a  powerful  magnifying-glass,  and 
I  could  see  nothinsr.  But  cei-tainlv  tlici-e  must  have 
been   a  reason  for  coming,  only  I  could  not  find  out. 


^  2  (3  ^^  APING  I  KING  I)  OM. 

These  very  large  M^hite  ants  I  suspected  were  really  the 
males,  but  I  could  not  be  certain,  as  they  had  disappear- 
ed in  their  dark  recess,  where  no  human  eye  could  fol- 
low them.     The  soldiers  made  their  appearance,  looked 
on,  and  kept  still.     Again,  with  the  help  of  my  powerful 
magiiifying-glass,  I  could  not  see  what  they  were  doing. 
Then  the  workers  came  forward,  and  each  of  them  turn- 
ed round  and  ejected  from  behind  a  quantity  of  liquid 
mud  or  earth  into  the  aperture.     This  liquid  hardened  as 
it  came  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  each  little  load  that 
was  discharged  was  put  carefully  on  the  top  of  the  oth- 
er in  as  business-like  a  way  as  human  bricklayers  would 
lay  bricks    in   building    or    repairing    a    wall.   _  Their 
work  w^as  managed  with  such  precision  that  it  would 
have  done  honor  to  the  best  bricklayer  or  stone-mason. 
I  must  own  I  was  astounded.     Though  I  had  seen  many 
ant-hills,  I  had  never  taken  the  trouble  to  know  how 
they  were  made.     The  most  strange  thing  was,  that  aft- 
er an  ant  had  deposited  its  load,  it  with  gi-eat  rapidity 
disappeared  inside,  following  a  line  of  retreat,  and  an- 
other, with  as  much  quickness,  made  its  appearance,  so 
that  there  was  no  loss  of  time.     A  load  was  put  on  the 
top  of  another  certainly  far  more  quickly  than  a  mason 
would  put  a  brick  on  the  top  of  another  in  building  a 
wall.     They  continued  working,  till  finally  the  breach  I 
had  made  in  each  cell  was  perfectly  walled  up. 

The  question  to  my  mind  was  to  know  if  the  same 
ants  went  away  to  eat  more  earth  and  came  again.  How 
much  I  would  have  given  to  see  into  the  dark  recess  of 
the  chambers !  but  I  do  not  see  how  this  w^ill  ever  be 
done. 

After  a  very  short  time,  all  the  apertures  or  breaches 


CLOHLS^G  THE  BMEACM. 


127 


that  I  had  made  were  closed,  so  tliey  felt  once  more  safe 
in  their  fortress  from  their  enemies  and  from  daylight. 

I  had  become  so  intensely  interested  in  my  observa- 
tions that  I  was  covered  with  perspiration.  I  must  con- 
fess I  had,  during  my  yeai-s  of  traveling,  seen  nothing 
more  curious. 

The  sun  was  going  down  very  fast,  so  I  retm-ned  back 
to  the  village,  promising  myself  to  study  the  white  ants 
every  day  for  some  time  to  come. 


^ 

MHMjJ^^M 

1 

Y^^^^^^S^ 

i^ 

1 

fe 

\      ^-i'^'^^rf^i^^n^^^p 

^^ 

CHAPTER  XYIII. 

MORE  ABOUT  WHITE  ANTS. TWO  SPECIES. TEKKIBLE  FIGHT 

BETWEEN    THEM. THE   WORKERS    AND    THE    SOLDIERS. 

THE  QUEEN. SHE   IS   SURROUNDED   BY  SOLDIERS. OTHER 

SPECIES    OF   ANTS. 

After  my  return  to  tlie  village  the  people  began  to 
look  at  me  with  perfect  amazement  and  with  great  fear; 
they  almost  appeared  to  regard  it  as  something  supernat- 
m-al  that  I  should  demolish  these  white  ants'  buildings. 
"  What  does  the  Moguizi  mean  ?"  said  the  Otando  peo- 
ple. "  If  he  did  not  mean  something,  he  would  not  have 
gone  and  staid  so  long  looking  after  these  nchellellays." 
Poor  people !  they  could  not  undei'stand  why  I  did  go, 
in  despite  of  all  the  explanations  I  gave  them.  They 
could  not  comprehend  that  it  was  possible  for  a  human 
being  to  care  how  the  white  ants  built  their  shelters  and 
what  they  did. 

So,  early  the  next  morning  I  started  again.  I  took  an 
axe  with  me  as  before,  and  very  soon,  if  you  had  been 
close  by,  you  would  have  seen  me  hard  at  work  demol- 
ishing one  of  these  ant-hills.  It  required  several  blows 
before  I  succeeded,  for  the  material  was  hard,  and  diffi- 
cult to  break. 

While  I  was  busily  but  quietly  demolishing  and  look- 
ing on  at  the  cells  and  at  the  havoc  I  had  made,  and  the 
great  dismay  I  had  put  the  ants  to,  I  suddenly  discov- 


A  BATTLE  AMOXG  THE  WHITE  AXTS.  129 

ered  that  tliere  was  another  distinct  species  of  white  ant 
mixed  up  with  the  proper  architects  of  the  edifice. 

The  fighting  fellows,  the  soldiers  of  this  other  species, 
were  much  smaller  and  more  slender,  and  somewhat  of 
a  darker  color,  and  commenced  a  conflict  with  the  other 
"soldiers,"  whom  I  described  in  the  last  chapter,  with 
terrific  rage.  I  could  not  make  out  how  these  fellows, 
who  could  fight  with  such  fury,  could  live  together  in 
the  same  building.  On  close  inspection,  I  found  that 
these  slender  fellows  came  out  of  cells  with  a  yellow 
earth,  while  the  others  inhabited  cells  of  black  earth  like 
the  structure.  The  yellow  color  was  due  to  a  coating  of 
some  foreign  substance  on  the  walls  of  the  cells.  The 
chambers  inhabited  by  the  slender  species  were  smaller, 
and  did  not  at  all  communicate  with  those  occupied  by 
the  lords  of  the  manoi*,  but  were  inserted  into  the  vacant 
spaces  or  partition  walls  between  the  other  cells.  They 
were  smugglers,  and  had,  no  doubt,  introduced  them- 
selves after  the  buildings  had  been  finished,  from  under 
the  ground.     Pretty  smart  fellows,  I  thought. 

What  a  fight !  A  regular  battle.  No  enemies  could 
fight  with  more  fury,  with  more  pluck  and  determina- 
tion. It  was  quite  marvelous  to  see  how  the  soldiers  of 
the  one  kind  seized  the  bodies  of  the  others  with  their 
pow^erful  pincer-jaws.  The  fight  became  general,  and 
the  larger  kind  showed  no  mercy  to  its  less  powerful  en- 
emy. Here  were  two  fellows  squaring  it — a  powerful 
big  soldier  against  a  smaller  one.  The  fig] it  was  short. 
The  weaker  kind  was  killed  soon.  The  soft  body  or  ab- 
domen seemed  to  be  the  vuhierable  point.  The  soldiers 
of  the  smaller  and  slender  kind  possessed  also  long,  pin- 
cer-like  jaws,  and  tliese  were  powerful  and  formidable 

F2 


;j^30  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

enemies  of  the  workers  of  the  larger  kind,  for,  though 
much  smaller  in  size,  they  had  far  more  powerful  and 
elongated  pincers. 

Suddenly  a  worker  of  the  larger  kind  seized  a  small 
worker  in  its  last  struggle  for  life,  when  one  of  these 
slender  soldiers  that  was  passing  by  ran  to  the  rescue  of 
its  kindred  in  species,  seized  the  larger  kind  with  its 
pincers,  and,  snapping  them  into  the  abdomen  of  the 
assailant,  twice  its  size,  killed  it  instantly.  The  slender 
one  then  fell  from  the  short  pincers  of  the  larger  worker 
who  had  been  killed,  but  life  was  extinct.  The  rescuer 
examined  the  body,  and,  seeing  that  there  was  no  life, 
left  it  on  the  battle-field  instead  of  carrying  it  off,  w^ent 
aw^ay,  and  disappeared  in  search  of  more  enemies  to  con- 
quer. In  the  combat,  every  where,  there  was  nothing 
but  fighting,  and  it  was  no  child's  play,  for  many  and 
many  lost  their  lives  in  the  conflict ;  it  was  a  regular 
pitched  battle,  and  I  must  say  1  was  perfectly  astonished 
at  the  bravery  of  these  white  ants. 

By  this  fight  I  discovered  that  the  vulnerable  point  of 
the  termites  is  the  abdomen;  it  is  evident  that  their 
powerful  pincer-jaws  are  made  for  wounding  and  pier- 
cino;,  while  the  structure  of  the  workers  show  their  short 
pincers  are  made  for  the  purpose  of  labor,  and  that  they 
are  not  great  fighters.  Nothing  astonished  me  more  in 
those  deadly  combats  than  their  impetuous  mode  of  at- 
tack. The  weaker  species  knew  the  vulnerable  point  of 
his  formidable  enemy,  who  was  frequently  too  busy  fight- 
ing to  know  what  was  going  on  round  it,  and  could  not 
protect  itself. 

A  farther  examination  showed  me  that  the  mushroom- 
like  cap  of  the  whole  edifice  I  had  demolished  was  cpm- 


I  r  J 


BUILDIXO  MATEHIAL  OF  THE  WHITE  ASTS.  ^33 

posed  of  both  black  and  yellow  cells.  This  curious  mix- 
tiu'e  of  two  species,  each  building  its  own  cells  in  the 
same  establishment,  astonished  me. 

After  this  fight  I  went  to  see  what  had  become  of  the 
buildings  I  had  partly  demolished  the  day  before,  and 
the  operations  of  which  had  been  closed  at  once  by  the 
white  ants  to  keep  the  light  out  and  enemies  from  get- 
ting in.  Mv  astonishment  was  great  when  I  saw  that 
they  had,  during  the  night,  built  the  structures  exactly 
as  they  were  before  I  destroyed  them.  They  continued 
to  rebuild  in  the  original  shape,  but  during  the  daytime 
they  only  closed  the  cells.  I  noticed  that  now  and  then 
some  of  the  workers  brought  in  their  pincers  very  large 
grains  of  sand  or  minute  pebbles,  and  deposited  them  in 
the  mud,  and  several  of  the  cells  I  demolished  were  filled 
with  these  little  pebbles. 

Strange  to  say,  the  tei-mites  called  workers  have  noth- 
ing else  to  do  but  to  work  and  work,  while  the  soldiers, 
apparently,  have  nothing  to  do.  Now  I  must  look  for  a 
queen  ant.  But,  before  d(jing  so,  I  must  try  to  tell  you 
how  their  building  material  is  formed.  The  earth  which 
they  eat,  and  whicli  they  use  in  building,  as  I  have  told 
you  before,  is  seen  through  the  thin  skins  of  their  bodies. 
This  mud  is  mixed  with  a  gluey  matter  tlirougli  the  pow- 
er of  digestion,  and  when  it  is  ejected  it  gets  hard,  and 
with  this  material  they  construct  all  the  buildings,  tunnels, 
and  walls  which  form  their  cells,  showing  a  bright  ex- 
ample, even  to  us  all,  of  what  time  and  perseverance  can 
do.  They  achieve,  mite  by  mite,  the  firm  and  solid 
structure  of  the  entire  liut,  which  stands  against  the 
stoi'ms  for  a  good  many  years.  Sun  and  rain  are  equally 
fatal  to  these  white  ants ;  thus  it  is  necessary  that  they 


Ig^  MT  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

should  build  a  hive  impervious  to  light,  heat,  aud  rain. 
I  have  put  white  auts  in  the  sun,  and  they  were  shortly 
afterward  killed  by  its  heat.  1  had  often  thought  that 
each  cell  was  perhaps  inhabited  only  by  one  ant,  but  the 
great  number  I  saw  in  each  mushroom-like  edifice  makes 
it  quite  improbable  that  it  should  be  so.  Many  cells  are 
almost  an  inch  in  length,  and  about  a  third  of  an  inch 
broad. 

There  are  several  species  of  white  ants,  as  I  have  told 
you ;  some  li\  e  in  subterranean  dwellings  unseen  by  the 
eyes  of  man,  and  suddenly  make  their  appearance 
through  the  floor  of  one's  hut  during  the  night,  and  de- 
vour all  substances  made  of  cotton  or  paper,  for  they  are 
exceedingly  fond  of  paper.  They  are  very  fond  of  eat- 
ing wood,  and  are  often  found  in  dead  trees,  the  wood 
of  which  they  gradually  devour,  leaving  but  the  outside. 
They  must  also  have  a  great  sense  of  smell. 

One  may  retire  to  bed  in  fancied  security,  with  no 
signs  of  white  ants  about,  and  in  the  morning  wake  up 
to  find  little  covered  ways  overspreading  the  floor,  and 
over  the  chest  in  which  one's  treasures  are,  and  the  con- 
tents of  the  chest  partly  or  entirely  destroyed.  In  a  few 
days  a  store-house  of  goods  would  be  spoiled.  So  the  ut- 
most care  has  to  be  used  in  keeping  away  the  white  ants. 
I  was  fortunate  that  my  settlement  of  Washington  was 
situated  on  a  sandy  soil,  for  in  such  soil  the  white  ants 
can  not  live,  on  account  of  not  being  able  to  eat  sand ; 
and,  besides,  their  tunnels  could  not  be  made  in  such  a 
soil. 

I  was  very  anxious  to  find  the  queen — the  head  of  the 
colony,  the  sovereign  of  the  establishment.  So  I  went 
to  work,  and  was  soon  rewarded  for  my  labor.     I  discov: 


TEE  CiUEEX'S  COURT.  j^35 

ered  a  queen,  and  the  engraving  shown  at  page  123  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  queer  shape  a  white  ant  queen  is. 
After  demolishing  the  building  carefully,  piece  by  piece, 
at  last  I  came  to  a  large  chamber  several  times  larger 
than  any  other,  in  which  I  found  the  queen.  She  was 
surrounded  by  the  soldiers,  which  seemed  to  keep  guard 
over  her  majesty,  while  workers  were  in  the  act  of  carry- 
ing away  the  eggs  which  she  had  recently  deposited. 
As  soon  as  the  cell  where  the  queen  was  had  been  partly 
broken,  the  soldiers  appeared  perfectly  infuriated,  and 
opened  and  gnashed  their  powerful  nippers.  I  placed  a 
little  piece  of  wood  as  if  to  touch  the  queen  with  it; 
they  threw  themselves  upon  it,  and  with  their  nippers 
seized  it  and  bit  it  furiously.  The  queen  seemed  almost 
in  a  torpid  state;  she  was  over  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
length,  and  she  was  continually  laying  eggs,  the  workers' 
business  being  to  take  these  eggs  to  different  parts  of  the 
building. 

It  was  easy,  at  a  single  glance,  to  see  that  it  had  been 
utterly  impossible  for  the  queen  to  enter  that  chamber 
of  the  size  she  was. 

This  will  bring  me  to  explain  to  yow  how  a  queen  is 
made. 

Once  a  year  a  number  of  white  ants  in  each  colony, 
trained  up  from  the  eggs,  come  to  maturity,  acquire 
Avings,  and  fly  out  of  the  hive  or  building  on  warm  even- 
ings. These  are  males  and  females ;  but  very  few  escape, 
on  account  of  the  great  number  of  their  enemies,  and 
those  who  do  survive  all  dangers  become  the  kings  and 
<pieen8  of  new  hives. 

Tlie  sole  parents  of  a  colony  are  a  single  female  or 
queen,  and  a  slenrlor  insect  called  the  king.     Possibly 


j^36  ^Y  APING  1  KINGDOM. 

there  may  be  several  males,  though  this  latter  can  never 
be  seen  in  the  confusion  of  the  demolition  of  the  build- 
ing, and  on  account  of  the  male  being  very  similar  to 
the  soldiers. 

As  you  have  seen,  the  queen  li\'es  in  a  much  larger 
chamber  than  all  the  rest  of  "  her  people,"  in  the  middle 
of  the  building,  generally  near  the  base  of  the  hive,  and 
does  nothing  but  lay  eggs,  and  the  workers  carry  these 
to  other  parts  of  the  hive. 

The  question  naturally  arises.  How  is  the  building  lirst 
made  ?  I  suppose  that  the  female  intended  to  form  a 
colony  is  seized  by  numerous  ants,  which  carry  her  away, 
and  from  under  the  earth  either  begin  a  new  building, 
or  take  her  to  a  cell  which  had  been  built  beforehand  for 
the  queen  of  a  colony. 

A  queen  is  found  in  each  colony,  and,  when  once 
there,  she  never  stirs,  her  chamber  being  devoted  to  her 
sole  use. 

At  each  end  of  the  chamber  of  the  queen  are  two 
holes,  which  communicate,  like  all  the  cells,  with  the  oth- 
er parts  of  the  building,  through  which  soldiers  and 
workers  can  get  in  and  out.  After  the  queen  has  been 
installed  there  she  loses  her  wings.  The  king,  which  I 
have  never  been  able  to  recognize  with  certainty,  loses 
his  wings  also.  Then  a  wondrous  change  takes  place  in 
the  queen,  and  from  an  ordinary  winged  ant  the  change, 
or  rather  transformation,  becomes  so  great  that  an  ordi- 
nary observer  would  not  recognize  as  the  queen  the  wing- 
ed insect  he  had  seen  a  few  days  before. 

She  loses  her  wings,  though  of  course  her  head,  tho- 
rax, and  less  retain  their  normal  and  former  dimensions; 
her  abdomen  begins  to  swell,  and  becomes  so  elongated 


ISVILDINO  OF  THE  THEE  AXT.  ^3- 

and  so  large  that  it  attains  almost  two  inches  in  length 
among  the  mushroom-hived  ants ;  among  the  large  ter- 
mites, to  three  or  fom*  inches.  The  head  is  almost  lost 
sight  of,  and  the  creature  looks  more  like  a  caterpillar 
than  any  thine'  else,  and  the  exit  from  her  house  is  so 
small  then,  that,  even  if  the  queen  could  move,  she  could 
not  get  out.  She  is  imprisoned  for  life,  and  the  number 
of  thousands  and  thousands  of  eggs  she  lays  is  almost  in- 
credible. These  are  carried  to  every  part  of  the  build- 
ing by  the  workers,  while  the  soldiers  keep  watch  ovei- 
her.  So  we  may  say  truly  that  the  queen  is  the  mother 
of  her  own  subjects. 

Besides  the  species  of  white  ants  T  have  spoken  to  you 
about,  there  are  several  others — the  tree  ant,  the  bark  ant, 
and  the  forest  ant. 

I  will  speak  to  you  of  the  tree  ant  first.  In  the  forest 
there  is  a  species  which  makes  its  hives  or  nests  between 
the  ribs  of  the  trunks  of  trees.  The  nests  are  from  four 
to  seven  feet  long,  and  six  to  eight  inches  broad,  and  are 
formed  externally  of  several  slanting  roofs,  one  above 
the  other.  The  ants  that  make  these  structures  have 
long  black  bodies  and  white  heads,  and  are  unlike  the 
mushroom-building  ants.     (See  page  120  for  engraving.) 

The  structure  begins  from  the  o;round  in  a  somewhat 
irregular  cylindrical  piece  of  walling  or  building  about  a 
foot  high,  but  varying  to  as  much  as  eighteen  inches,  and 
full  of  cells  and  galleries ;  then  occurs  the  first  slanting 
roof.  The  larger  the  structure,  the  more  of  these  slant- 
ing roof-like  projections  it  possesses,  and  they  become 
smaller  toward  the  top,  the  middle  roof  being  the  broad- 
est ;  sometimes  a  few  inches  will  separate  one  roof  from 
the  other;  the  roofs  communicate  with  each  otlier  througli 


the  cells  by  the  same  cvlindrical  piece  of  masonry ;  the 
material  of  which  the  whole  is  built  is  very  thick,  hard, 
and  impermeable  to  rain.  The  structure  of  this  ant  is 
not  common  in  the  forest ;  but  I  found  several,  and  I 
could  study  the  habits  of  their  inhabitants, 

Bai'k  Ant. — Another  much  smaller  species  of  white 
ant  is  found  under  pieces  of  loose  dry  bark  on  the  for- 
est trees,  on  which  they  feed.  The  colonies  were  com- 
posed of  a  very  scanty  number  of  individuals,  and  the 
ants  were  so  small  and  obscure  that  it  was  not  easy  to 
detect  them.  They  always  choose  trees  that  are  old,  and 
have  these  scales  of  loose  bark  on  their  trunks  from  place 
to  place.  It  is  under  these  small  patches  or  scales  that 
the  ants  live.  They  feed  on  the  wood,  and  build  cover- 
ed w^ays,  or  rather  tunnels,  which  start  from  the  ground, 
and  communicate  to  the  different  places  where  the  colo- 
ny has  scattered  itself.  Now  and  then,  scraping  under 
the  bark,  I  found  that  the  settlement  had  moved  some- 
where else  as  soon  as  they  had  come  to  the  green  of  the 
tree.  The  material  which  this  ant  uses  to  build  its  tun- 
nels is  not  earth,  but  wood-dust.  This  proves  clearly 
that  these  white  ants,  with,  perhaps,  the  exception  of  one 
species,  build  their  nests  of  the  same  material  as  they  eat, 
but  not  till  after  it  has  passed  through  their  stomachs, 
and  received  an  admixture  of  glutinous  fluid.  The  quan- 
tity thrown  by  this  little  species  was  so  minute  that  I 
could  hardly  have  seen  it  with  the  naked  eye.  They 
worked  exactly  like  the  others  I  have  just  described.  I 
was  unable  to  recognize  the  three  distinct  classes  of  indi- 
viduals. There  seemed  to  be  only  two  sets — soldiers  and 
workers.  They  worked  very  slowly  when  joining  the 
broken  portions  of  the  tunnels  I  had  demolished.     This 


BUILDIJSGH  OF  THE  FOREST  TEIiMES. 


189 


was  accoimted  for  by  the  extreme  smalluess  of  the  parti- 
cles of  material  ejected  by  them,  and  also  by  the  fact 
that,  in  consequence  of  the  tunnel  being  very  narrow, 
onlv  one  or  two  ants  could  work  at  the  same  time. 

Forest  Termes. — N"ow  I  come  to  the  largest,  another 
species  of  white  ant,  much  larger  than  those  I  have  de- 
scribed before,  and  building  far  larger  structures. 

The  shelters  of  this  ant  are  found  in  the  forest,  and 
are  rather  uncommon  ;  they  are  always  found  single ; 
their  light  yellow  color  makes  them  quite  conspicuous  in 
the  midst  of  the  dark  foliage  by  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded ;  this  vellow  color  comes  from  the  soil  whicli 
the  ants  use  in  building,  and  which  they  get  from  below 
the  black  loam. 


BCILHI.NU    <>1 


l^Q  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

The  height  of  the  structure  I  examined  was  four  feet 
and  a  half,  and  the  diameter,  at  the  broadest  part,  two 
feet  and  a  half ;  after  breaking  one  sinuosity,  I  found  the 
cells  to  be  about  one  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  about 
half  an  inch  in  height,  each  cell  corresponding  with  the 
others  by  corridors  or  round  tunnels  varying  from  half 
an  inch  to  one  inch  in  length,  and  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  in  diameter.  . 

In  demolishing  the  sides,  I  f  omid  that  the  thickness  of 
the  wall  was  only  one  inch  before  the  cells  were  found ; 
but  I  found  the  earth  at  the  top  much  harder  than  on 
the  sides,  as  though  the  builders  had  put  a  nnich  larger 
quantity  of  glutinous  matter  in  this  part  of  the  structure. 

After  breaking  away  three  inches  of  this  yellow  top  of 
the  nest,  I  suddenly  came  to  another  layer  half  an  inch 
thick,  full  of  little  holes  or  cells,  so  small  that  they  had 
no  doubt  been  built  on  purpose  for  the  ants  to  remain 
there  alone,  but  for  what  reason  they  required  to  remain 
alone  I  was  unable  to  discover ;  at  that  time  there  were 
no  ants  there. 

Then  with  the  axe  I  gave  a  powerful  blow,  and  de- 
molished another  part  of  the  structure,  which  disturbed 
the  ants  from  their  dark  chambers.  I  saw  there  the 
three  different  classes  of  ants :  the  head  men,  very  large, 
Math  whitish  body  and  black  head  (these  were  but  few 
in  number) ;  the  w^orkers,  with  short  and  thick  body  and 
broad  head,  but  not  so  large  as  the  chiefs ;  and,  thirdly, 
the  soldiers,  not  so  large  as  the  workers,  more  slender, 
and  possessing  longer  nippers.  These  three  distinct 
classes  were  the  inhabitants  of  this  curious  structure. 

As  I  was  looking  at  these  ants,  my  attention  was  sud- 
denlv  called  to  watch  their  movements.     The  soldiers 


CURIO  US  WA  Y  ANTS  BUILD.  ]  4  [ 

came,  and,  ranging  themselves  ronnd  the  broken  cells, 
took  their  stand  and  remained  immovable.  Then  the 
workei*s  came ;  each  carried  between  its  pincers  a  small 
particle  of  yellow  clay,  which  some  of  them  collected 
from  the  broken  pieces,  and  which  stood  in  my  sight, 
while  others  came  with  their  loads  from  the  cells ; 
there  were  sometimes  two  or  three  busy  together  at  the 
same  time  and  in  the  same  cells.  Each  ant  came  and 
put  doAvn  its  particle  of  wet  clay  with  the  utmost  pre- 
cision, and  then  with  its  head  moved  it  right  and  left, 
and  by  so  doing  succeeded  in  making  the  bits  stick  to- 
gether, and  so  finished  the  wall.  Each  bit  was  put  by 
the  side  of  the  one  left  by  the  previous  worker,  who  had 
gone  to  fetch  more,  for  here  I  saw  the  same  ant  go  and 
fetch  fresh  pieces  of  the  same  clay,  w^hicli  came  from 
the  structure  I  had  broken.  I  observed  that  they  never 
w^ent  outside  the  cells  to  get  their  materials.  No  masons 
could  have  worked  more  systematically. 

But  how  could  the  clay  which  I  saw  them  take  dry 
become  suddenly  wet?  I  took  a  small  reed  and  ad- 
vanced it  quietly  toward  some ;  they  made  a  spring  at  it 
(for  these  ants'  biles  are  far  worse  than  the  others)  and 
seized  it  with  their  nippers,  and  then  threw  upon  it  a  lit- 
tle whitish,  thickish  matter,  the  same  stuff  that  made  the 
clay  wet  and  ready  for  building  purposes.  During  the 
working  time  not  one  of  the  largest  class  was  in  sight. 
The  soldiers  kept  watch,  and  it  was  only  just  before  the 
wall  was  closed  that  they  retired. 

I  give  you,  on  the  following  page,  a  picture  of  the 
buildings  of  the  termes  bellicosus,  which  often  reaches  the 
height  of  twenty  feet  or  more,  so  that  you  may  see  the 
great  variety  there  is  in  the  shape  of  the  buildings  made 


142 


MT  APINQI  KINGDOM. 


BUILDINti    OK   TUB   TEKMES    BELLI0OSU8. 


by  the  white  ants  in  Africa,  according  to  the  different  spe- 
cies. It  will  sliow  you  that  there  is  as  much  diversity  in 
the  houses  of  the  ants  as  there  is  among  those  of  different 
races  of  men.  The  difference  is  no  greater  between  a 
negro  hut  and  a  beautiful  stone  house,  than  between  the 
shelter  of  the  white  ant  living  under  the  bark  of  trees, 
and  the  large  structures  of  the  more  ingenious  archi- 
tects. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

LEAVE    THE    APIXGI    COUNTRY. — GO    INTO    THE    INTERIOR. — 

I  AM  LOST. 1  RAISE  THE  AJ^IERICAN  FLAG  ON  A  BIG  TREE, 

LEAVE    IT    FLYING. STARVATION    AND    SUFFERING. 

RETURN   TO    REMANDJI. 

Time  was  passing  away,  and  I  feel  that  I  must  make 
further  exploration  of  th^  country.  It  seems  to  me, 
thougli  I  did  not  know  why  I  had  this  feeling,  that  the 
Apingi  did  not  wish  me  to  go  into  another  country. 
They  were  jealous,  and  I  was  afraid  they  did  not  want 
any  other  tribe  to  possess  me.  I  did  not  tell  the  people 
that  I  tliought  so,  and  kept  them  good  friends  with  me. 
That  same  evening,  the  old  men  were  smoking  their  pipes 
under  the  veranda  of  Remandji.  Old  Remandji  was 
there,  and  I  was  ready  for  another  long  talk  fi-om  him 
about  the  country. 

lie  had  spoken  to  me,  as  I  have  told  you  before,  of 
Sapadi,  but  this  evening  he  talked  to  me  of  a  people  of 
wliom  I  had  never  seen  or  heard — of  men  and  women 
wlio  were  all  small.  Tlierc  were  no  tall  people  among 
them.  They  lived  in  the  woods,  like  the  gorilla  and 
chimpanzee,  and  moved  from  place  to  place  without 
fixed  habitations.  "  What !"  said  I,  "  Remandji,  have  you 
seen  such  a  people  ?"  "  No,"  said  he, "  but  slaves  of  mine 
who  came  from  far  away  (pointing  in  the  direction  .of 
the  risin":  sun)  have  told  me  often  that  they  liave  seen 
them."     T  chanfjed  at  once  the  conversation,  fully  per- 


144  MY  APINQI  KINGBOjI. 

suaded  that  such  people  did  not  exist.  I  learned  that 
there  were  many  tribes  living  in  tlie  distant  mountains, 
and  no  one  among  the  Apingi,  or  among  their  slaves, 
could  tell  where  the  immense  forest  in  which  you  liave 
been  traveling  Math  me,  in  the  three  volumes  I  have  writ- 
ten for  you,  came  to  an  end.  Strange  names  of  tribes 
of  wild  men,  living  in  this  the  most  gigantic  juugle  of 
the  world,  were  given  me,  many  of  which  I  had  never 
heard  before.  Cannibals  were  not  known  among  them, 
with  the  exception  of  a  tribe  living  far  off  in  the  north- 
east, called  Moshobo.  There  were  tribes  called  Madou- 
ma,  Meouandji,  Ngalois,  Ishdgo,  Ashango,  and  otliers. 

So  I  said,  "Remandji,  you  must  give  me  some  people, 
for  I  want  to  wander  in  the  forest,  far  beyond  the  Apingi 
country.  I  want  to  see  if  I  can  find  something  new,  if 
I  can  see  the  strange  men,  and  discover  new  birds  and 
new  animals."  I  had  a  vague  idea  that  perliaps  I  might 
meet  with  the  unicorn  ;  at  any  rate,  I  thought  I  could  not 
help  seeing  new  things. 

But  I  was  in  trouble,  for  I  was  getting  very  poor,  and 
would  cut  a  poor  figure  as  a  king.  Of  course  I  had  not 
a  dollar,  for  money  is  perfectly  useless  there.  .  The  peo- 
ple would  rather  liave  one  big  bead  than  a  twenty-dollar 
gold  piece.  I  mean  that  my  stock  of  goods  for  presents 
to  the  natives  was  very  short.  I  had  no  more  red  caps, 
and  I  had  but  very  few  beads  left.'  In  fact,  I  had  only 
some  looking-glasses,  a  very  few  yards  of  calico  prints, 
a  few  fine  steel  files,  knives  and  forks,  matches,  and  a 
few  other  trinkets. 

•My  clothes  were  entirely  worn  out.  I  had  but  little 
powder  left,  only  five  or  six  scores  of  large  bullets,  and 
not  very  many  pounds  of  small  shot.    My  medicines  were 


MY  MAGGED  GARMENTS.  I45 

almost  gone.  I  bad  but  little  quinine,  and  wbat  sbould 
I  do  witbout  it  if  I  bad  a  return  of  tliose  violent  attacks 
of  fever  wbich  from  time  to  time  get  hold  of  me  ? 

You  would  liave  laugbed  if  you  bad  seen  my  ward- 
robe. It  was  composed  of  a  coat,  a  single  sbirt,  and  two 
very  old  paii*s  of  pantaloons !  Happily,  one  of  tbem  was 
made  of  very  strong  material,  but  botli  were  full  of  boles, 
and  had  been  mended  over  and  over  again.  One  pair 
was  minus  half  a  leg !  The  sbirt  I  wore  was  tlie  only 
one  I  bad  to  my  back,  for  I  bad  given  the  other  to  Re- 
mand] i.  I  had  also  a  linen  coat.  It  is  true,  it  was  al- 
most good  for  nothing, but,  ne%ertheless,  it  was  very  use- 
ful, for  I  could  wear  it  while  my  shirt  was  drying  in  the 
sun  after  being  washed.  Besides,  I  had  two  old  pairs  of 
socks — I  should  rather  say,  remains  of  socks,  for  I  do  not 
know  how  to  darn  stockings,  and  consequently  the  holes 
in  the  heels  were  getting  bigger  and  bigger  every  day. 
As  for  the  two  old  pairs  of  shoes  I  bad  on  hand,  I  had 
mended  them  over  and  over,  the  needle  I  used  being 
that  with  which  I  sewed  the  skins  of  the  wild  animals  I 
prepared. 

How  sorry  I  felt  not  to  be  richer,  for  I  could  have 
gone  a  long  way  into  the  interior.  Oh  how  I  loved  to 
roam  and  wander  in  the  great  forest !  How*  strange 
every  thing  looked  to  me !  It  was  like  the  discovery  of  a 
new  world.  So  I  said  to  myself,  go  a  little  further  again, 
Friend  Paul !  Never  mind  the  shoes,  never  mind  the 
quinine,  never  mind  any  thing.  Go  ahead  for  a  little 
while  more. 

So  one  fine  morning  RemanAji  and  I,  with  a  few 
Apingi,  left  the  village  and  once  more  entered  the  for- 
est.    We  traveled  entirely  by  compass,  avoiding  the  em- 

G 


146  ^y  APINGI  KINGB  OM. 

inences  as  far  as  we  could.  The  way  was  somewhat 
rocky,  and  the  forest  dense.  Roads  thei'e  were  none,  and 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  the  rocky  beds  of  rivu- 
lets formed  our  paths.  Of  course,  these  were  terrible 
for  the  shoes.  Tlie  very  first  day  the  heels  of  one  pair 
gave  out ;  but,  fortunately,  I  had  another  pair. 

Good  Eemandji  could  not  stand  this  kind  of  knocking 
round  in  the  woods,  and  telling  me  at  last  that  he  was 
too  old  for  such  work,  he  gave  me  his  son  Okabi  for  a 
companion,  and  returned  home. 

Our  way  in  the  woods  was  so  crooked  at  times  that  it 
seemed  to  me  as  if  I  was  really  going  all  round  the  com- 
pass, and  began  to  suspect  that  the  Apingi  either  did 
not  want  me  to  leave  their  country,  or  did  not  know  the 
roads.  Several  days  were  thus  spent  in  wandering  in  the 
forest.  When  night  came  we  would  build  a  camp  wher- 
ever we  happened  to  be.  One  evening  a  tornado  blew 
over  the  land,  and  broke  down  the  trees  and  their 
branches  all  round  us,  but,  fortunately,  none  fell  on  our 
camp,  or  I  might  not  be  living  to  write  you  this  story  of 
my  weary  wandering.  I  always  had  to  sleep  with  one  eye 
open,  for  leopards  were  plentiful,  and  their  howls  filled 
the  forest  during  the  night.  The  gloom  of  the  woods 
was  something  quite  appalling  to  the  spirits.  There  were 
places  where  the  forest  was  so  sombre  and  silent  that  it 
seemed  a  fit  place  for  the  haunt  of  some  sylvan  monster, 
delighting  in  silence  and  in  the  shades  of  night.  I  won- 
dered not  that  the  natives  should  be  superstitious,  and 
say  that  such  monsters  do  exist.  They  often  imagine 
that  they  see  them,  but  as  they  approach  near  to  them 
they  suddenly  disappear. 

The  31st  of  December  found  me  in  the  great  forest. 


NE  W-  TEAR  IN  AFRICA.  2^7 

That  evening  I  thanked  the  Great  Spirit  and  Maker  of 
the  universe  for  his  great  kindness  to  nie  during  the  year 
that  had  just  gone  by. 

The  next  day  was  New-year  s,  1859.  How  time  had 
fled.  I  had  attained  my  manhood  in  that  great  forest 
searching  after  the  mysteries  of  Nature.  "What  wonders 
I  had  seen  since  I  left  home !  What  perils  I  had  gone 
through,  what  warlike  tribes  I  had  met !  Dangers  seen 
and  unseen  I  had  escaped,  and  the  end  had  not  yet  come, 
for  I  was  far  aM'ay  from  that  sea  which  bathed  the  shores 
fi'om  which  I  was  to  get  a  vessel,  and  I  knew  not  if  I 
should  ever  i-eacli  those  shores. 

Oh  dear!  At  last  I  could  go  no  farther.  My  last 
pair  of  shoes  gave  out  completely  that  New-year's-day ! 
They  wei-e  torn,  both  uppere  and  soles,  and  at  every  step 
my  bleeding  feet  M'ere  more  and  more  lacerated,  till  at 
last  the  agony  became  too  great,  and  the  strong  will 
which  had  sustained  me  gave  way.  I  had  to  stop  from 
time  to  time,  for  I  could  hardly  put  a  step  foward  with- 
out an  accompanying  scream.  The  pain  obliged  me  to 
lie  down  near  a  brook,  where  I  had  stopped  to  bathe  my 
wounded  feet,  but  I  tried  hard  to  show  I  did  not  suffer. 
To  add  to  the  misery,  I  found  that  we  wci-e  lost  in  the 
forest !  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Not  a  village  could  be 
seen.  We  built  our  camp.  I  mended  my  shoes  all  that 
evening,  as  well  as  I  could,  for  the  morrow's  journey. 
We  ate  the  last  of  our  plantains.  I  took  a  mouthful  of 
a  little  brandy  I  had,  whi(;h  was  very  precious  to  me  as 
a  medicine,  and  we  went  to  sleej). 

Thus  ended  New  -  year's  -  day,  •  How  different  from 
New-year's-day  at  home  !  But  never  mind,  said  I  to  my- 
self, I  have  seen  many  things  which  nobody  else  has  seen. 


148 


MT  AFIXGI  KISOBOM 


I'AtI,    Mn.NDING    SHIES. 


The  next  morning  my  feet  were  so  swollen  that  1 
could  not  force  them  into  my  shoes.  We  decided  to  re- 
trace our  steps. 

On  a  high  hill  not  far  from  our  camp  stood  a  large 
and  very  tall  tree.  After  a  breakfast  of  berries  and 
wild  nuts,  I  took  from  a  little  sack,  in  which  it  liad  been 
laid  away,  a  little  American  flag;  we  tied  it  on  that  tall 
tree  on  the  liigh  hill.  When  it  floated  out  in  the  breeze 
we  all  gave  three  cheers  for  the  Star-spangled  banner. 
The  sight  seemed  to  give  me  new  courage,  and  I  fired  a 
salute  of  three  guns> 


MY  FEET  AltE  so  \E1{Y  SOKE.  ^-i'J 

As  my  socks  M^ere  totally  unfit  to  wear,  I  tore  the 
sleeves  of  my  shirt,  and  bandaged  my  feet  carefully  with 
them,  forced  them  gently  into  my  old  torn,  worn-out 
shoes,  and  then,  giving  a  last  look  at  the  flag,  and  shout- 
ing good-by  to  it,  I  left  it  to  float  by  itself  in  the  midst 
of  the  mountains  and  forests  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

1  suffered  dreadfully  on  my  way  back.  I  remember 
that  my  feet  got  worse  instead  of  better.  When  my 
wretched  shoes  were  beyond  even  tying  together  with 
vines,  I  cast  them  away,  and  bandaged  my  feet  with 
what  remained  of  my  shirt,  but  it  was  of  little  use.  The 
stony  path  and  thorny  jungle  laughed  at  such  protection. 
Starvation,  real  starvation,  witli  nothing  to  eat,  was  also 
our  lot.  But  one  day  our  ears  were  gladdened  by  the 
roar  of  a  gorilla.  We  killed  it,  and  this  furnished  us 
with  food  for  the  remainder  of  our  journey. 

At  last,  af  tei'  many  days  of  weary  wandering,  villages 
were  seen,  and  finally  we  got  into  comfortable  quarters 
at  Remandji.  How  well  I  was  received  !  These  Apingi 
had  learned  to  love  me,  and  were  glad  to  welcome  me 
back.  Old  Kemandji  himself  was  overjoyed  to  see  his 
Spirit,  and,  in  order  to  celebrate  my  arrival,  got  jolly 
drunk  upon  palm  wine. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

I  MUST  LEAVE  MY  KINGDOM. ASSEMBLING  OF  THE   PEOPLE. 

THEY  COME  TO   SAY  GOOD-BY. 1  MAKE  A  SPEECH, KE- 

MANDJl's  KEPLY. A  HEAVY  PRESENT. PEESENTS  TO  EE- 

MANDJI. THEY  AEE  SOEEY  I  MUST  GO  AWAY. 

At  last  the  day  is  approaching  when  I  must  quit 
my  kingdom  and  bid  good-by  to  the  Apingi  people. 
I  am  getting  very  poor.  When  I  look  at  the  stock  of 
beads  I  have  on  hand,  I  feel  that  it  is  time  for  me  to 
leave,  for  the  Apingi  people  think  I  have  power  to  make 
them ;  and  if  I  had  none  to  give  them  they  would  think 
that  I  did  not  love  them  any  more,  and  the  consequence 
might  be  that  they  would  become  afraid  of  me.  Besides, 
I  feel  very  weary  and  lonely.  Hardship  and  disease  have 
prostrated  my  body ;  when  I  look  in  the  looking-glass  I 
can  see  how  sunken  are  my  eyes,  and  how  hollow  and 
pallid  are  my  cheekp.  My  lips  have  lost  their  color,  and 
my  poor  emaciated  body  says  to  me  "  what  a  hard  time 
you  have  had,"  and  warns  me  that  perhaps  I  shall  never 
go  home.  I  have  a  longing  to  see  the  deep  blue  ocean 
again,  to  see  my  dear  little  village  of  Washington,  to  see 
the  River  Commi,  the  big  pelicans  that  swim  on  it,  and 
to  get  a  peep  at  the  big  cranes  that  waddle  on  its  shores, 
and  the  lierds  of  hnge  hippopotami  which  are  always 
in  sight  of  my  settlement. 

A  fine  morning,  just  a  little  after  sunrise,  when  the 


REMASllJI  L  O  OKS  A  T  ME  STEAL) IL  Y.  151 

birds  wei-e  singing,  I  went  to  the  hut  of  Reman dji  and 
told  him  that  1  wanted  him  to  send  messengers  to  all 
the  villages  of  the  Apingi,  for  the  Mogiiizi  wanted  to 
leave  the  country,  and  bid  the  people  good-by.  Good 
old  Eemandji  looked  me  in  the  face  steadily,  and  said, 
with  a  sad  voice, "  Moguizi,  must  you  go — must  you  leave 
our  land?"  Then  he  called  Minsho,  the  great-grand- 
nephew  of  the  King  of  the  Ashira,  who  had  brought  me 
from  that  country  of  his,  and  said  to  him, "  The  Spirit 
must  go  back ;  we  are  all  sorry,  but  it  is  his  will,  and  we 
must  submit." 

Then  Eemandji,  with  a  heart  too  full  to  speak  any 
more,  got  up  and  disappeared  back  of  his  house,  and 
went  into  the  house  of  the  Alumbi,  where  the  heads  of 
some  of  his  great  ancestors  were,  and  the  ochre  upon 
which  they  had  rested.  He  rubbed  his  forehead,  the  mid- 
dle of  his  chest,  and  all  along  his  arm  with  it,  and  then 
came  out. 

There  was  a  great  commotion  in  the  place  when  they 
heard  I  was  going. 

Messengers  were  sent  to  all  the  villages  of  the  Apingi 
country,  and  the  next  day  the  people  began  to  pour  in 
from  every  quarter,  loaded  with  provisions.  The  village 
could  not  hdd  all  the  people,  so  olakos,  or  "  encamp- 
ments" were  made  in  the  forest  by  them.  Chief  after 
chief  made  his  appearance.  These  were  the  representa- 
tives of  all  the  Apingi  clans.  Tlie  forest  surrounding 
our  village  was  filled  with  people  who  had  come  from 
the  mountains,  from  do^vn  the  river,  and  fi-om  the  val- 
leys. 

The  day  for  saying  good-by  had  arrived.  Two  seats 
were  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  close  together — 


]^52  MY  APIN 01  KINGDOM. 

one  for  Kemandji,  the  other  for  me,  The  drummers 
ranged  themselves  in  a  semicircle  on  one  side,  covered 
with  fetiches.  The  chiefs  or  heads  of  clans  had  collected 
at  Remandji's  house.  Suddenly  the  drums  began  to 
beat,  and  Remandji  and  the  chiefs  advanced  toward  my 
hut.  The  people,  who  completely  filled  the  village, 
chanted  a  plaintive  hymn,  and  when  tliey  came  in  front 
^of  my  hut  they  stopped,  and  I  came  out  and  followed 
them.  Remandji  and  I  seated  ourselves  on  the  seats 
that  had  been  reserved  for  ns,  while  the  old  men  and 
chiefs  seated  themselves  on  the  ground  in  front  of  us. 
A  profound  silence  reigned.  Not  a  whisper  could  be 
heard.     The  eyes  of  every  one  were  turned  toward  me. 

The  Ashiras  who  had  taken  me  to  the  Apingi  country 
were  seated  near  me,  in  front,  between  the  Apingi  chiefs 
and  Remandji  and  myself. 

I  got  up,  and  took  from  off  my  shoulder  the  kendo 
with  which  I  had  been  invested  when  made  a  king,  and 
which  I  have  described  to  you  in  "  Lost  in  the  Jungle," 
and  rang  it ;  then,  with  as  loud  a  voice  as  I  could  possi- 
bly muster,  I  said  to  tliem,  "Apingi,  the  Spirit,  who  loves 
you,  is  going  away.  The  sun  will  not  rise  twice  again 
over  your  village  before  I  shall  be  far  away,  for  to-mor- 
row morning  I  shall  start  in  the  direction  w^here  the  sun 
disappears  beyond  yonder  forest,  and  where  it  sets.  My 
voice  you  will  hear  no  more.  With  your  women  and 
with  yourselves  I  shall  talk  no  more.  Your  children 
will  not  play  with  me  any  more.  The  ticking  of  my 
clock  (pointing  in  the  direction  where  it  was)  will  go 
with  me.  Apingi,  I  love  you.  Apingi,  you  have  been 
good  to  the  Spirit.  The  Spirit  will  never  forget  you. 
Remandji,  you  are  my  friend ;   Remandji,"  said  I  once 


/  RINO  THE  KEXDO. 


153 


more,  taking  his  two  hands  in  mine,  "you  are  my  friend," 
and  I  looked  steadily  in  his  face. 


TUE   SI'IEIT   TAKING   LEAVE. 


Then,  ringing  the  kendo  once  more,  I  shouted  with  all 
my  power,  "  Apingi,  it  is  the  last  time  I  shall  ring  tlie 
kendo  in  your  land.  When  you  made  me  king  you  gave 
it  to  me,  and  as  your  chief  I  had  to  wear  it.  To  you, 
Eemandji,  I  now  return  it."  But  as  I  was  ready  to  hand 
the  kendo  to  Eemandji,  the  people,  with  one  voice,  shout- 
ed, "  Keep  it !  keep  it  in  remembrance  of  ns.  Keep  it, 
Spirit !  keep  it ;  for  we  want  you  to  ring  the  kendo  in  the 
land  of  the  spirits."  So,  in  the  midst  of  tremendous  and 
exciting  cheers,  I  replaced  the  kendo  on  my  shoulder,  and 
then  seated  myself.  T  have  since  presented  the  kendo  to 
my  much-veneratf?d  friend.  Sir  TJodorick  l\furchi-;oii. 


154  ^^  APINOI  KINGD  OM. 

Then  Hemanclji  got  up  and  said :  "  Apingi  people,  the 
Spirit  is  going  away.  The  Spirit  is  to  leave  us.  But 
the  Spirit  can  not  be  angry  with  us.  The  Spirit  has 
said,  and  you  have  heard  him  say  it,  that  he  loved  rae 
and  that  he  loved  you.  To-morrow  morning  the  Spirit 
is  going  away.  I  have  seen  the  Spirit ;  you  have  seen 
the  Spirit.  We  have  heard  him  talk,  and  he  has  given 
us  his  hands  many  a  time.  Many  of  the  things  he  has 
given  us  we  wear.  But  many  have  not  seen  him ;  many 
have  been  afraid  of  him.  By-and-by,  when  they  come 
into  our  villages  and  do  not  see  the  Spirit,  and  we  tell 
them  once  he  was  amongst  us,  they  will  say  it  is  a  lie — 
it  is  a  lie  ;  the  Spirit  has  never  come  among  you." 

Then  he  seated  himself,  and  immediately  after  the 
drums  began  to  beat,  and  the  people  sung : 

' '  The  good  Spirit  is  going  away. 
The  good  Spirit  is  going  where  the  sun  goes. 
The  good  Spirit  will  talk  to  us  no  more. 
The  good  Spirit  will  not  hunt  any  more  in  our  woods. 
The  good  Spirit  is  the  friend  of  Remandji. 
The  good  Spirit  loves  Remandji. 

Oh!  oh!  oh!  oh!  oh!  oh!" 

Then  a  large  anvil  of  iron  was  brought  before  me  by 
two  slaves,  and  presented  to  me.  It  was  used  by  the 
people  in  their  blacksmithing  operations,  and  must  have 
weighed,  I  thought,  about  one  hundred  pounds.  It  was 
too  heavy  to  carry  away,  and,  besides,  as  it  came  from  a 
far  interior  country,  and  was  not  made  by  the  Apingi,  I 
thought  the  people  wanted  it  a  good  deal  more  than  I 
did.  So.  I  said, "  Apingi,  take  this  anvil ;  you  want  it  to 
work  upon.  It  would  be  hard  for  you  to  get  another. 
The  Spirit  wants  you  to  work,  for  he  loves  people  to  be 
blacksmiths." 


PJiESEyrS  TO  REMAXDJI.  I55 

Then  Remand ji  gave  me  two  beautifnl  caps  made  of 
palm  leaves,  done  in  fine  crochet  work.  These  I  have 
always  kept,  and  they  have  excited  the  admiration  of 
many  ladies  for  the  neatness  of  the  work. 

Then  a  great  quantity  of  food  was  laid  at  my  feet — 
bananas,  sugar  -  cane,  pea  -  nuts,  pine  -  apples,  plantains, 
fowls,  smoked  fish,  etc.  These  things  made  a  big  pile 
before  me,  and  the  people  sliouted,  "  Moguizi,  these  you 
will  eat  on  your  way  toward  wliere  the  sun  sets,  while 
you  are  traveling  in  the  big  forest." 

Then,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people,  I  gave  to  Ee- 
mandji  my  knife  and  fork — the  very  knife  and  fork 
with  which  the  people  had  seen  me  eat  every  day  while 
I  was  among  them. 

Then,  taking  a  pair  of  scissors  from  a  bag  at  my  side,  1 
cut  off  a  long  lock  of  my  black  hair,  and  presented  it  to 
Eemandji,  telling  him  to  keep  it  in  remembrance  of  me. 
Here  the  excitement  of  the  people  became  intense.  Loud 
shouts  rang  from  one  end  of  the  village  to  tlie  other ;  the 
people  became  wild,  jumped  to  and  fro,  and  danced  and 
sang — 

"The  Spirit  has  given  his  hair  to  Remandji, 
The  Spirit  truly  loves  Remandji, 
Remandji  will  always  keep  the  hair  of  the  Spirit. " 

When  this  was  finished  they  came  toward  me  in  a  half- 
sitting  posture,  looking  me  in  the  face,  and  clapj)ing  their 
hands,  and  singing — 

"Spirit,  why  do  you  leave  us? 
Spirit,  why  are  you  going  away  ?  " 

When  these  ceremonies  were  over  the  people  separated, 
and  returned  to  their  huts,  or  to  their  olakos  in  the  for- 
est. 


1 5  (3  -^^Y  APING  I  KINGD  OM. 

Ill  the  afternoon  I  went  into  Reniandji's  house,  and, 
at  his  own  special  request,  I  covered  the  walls  with  New 
York  papers,  which  I  had  received  while  in  the  Ashira 
country.  They  had  been  left  for  me  by  some  stray  ves- 
sel on  the  coast,  had  found  their  way  to  Washington,  and 
from  Washington  had  gone  to  Goumbi,  and  from  Goum- 
bi  Quengueza  had  sent  them  to  me  at  the  head-waters 
of  the  0\enga.  Among  them  were  copies  of  "Harper's 
Weekly,"  and  of  all  the  dailies  that  were  at  that  time 
published  in  New  York,     What  a  treat  it  was ! 

He  was  very  proud  of  these  decorations,  and  said  that 
when  another  Spirit  came  to  see  him  he  would  show 
them  to  him ;  and  if  the  people  should  say, "  It  is  a  lie, 
the  Spirit  has  never  come  to  your  country,"  he  would 
point  to  these  papers  as  proof  of  his  assertion.  I  warn- 
ed him  to  guard  against  the  white  ants,  as  they  are  very 
fond  of  paper. 


1-'  !t--:'iii-ijii^'^.  "i  ;., .  ■■■  ■i^r/^^V}. 


CmVPTER  XXI. 

GOOD-BT  TO  EE3IANDJI. 1  CROSS  THE  ER^EK. THE  ASHIRAS 

FEAR    THE    BAKALATS. A    BAK^iLAI    VILLAGE. CROSSING 

THE    LOUVENDJI. I    MEET    QUENGUEZA.  —  ARRIVAL    AT 

WASHINGTON. 

The  day  of  departure  has  at  last  come.  All  our  pro- 
visions have  been  gathered.  For  three  days  past  the 
Apingi  have  been  coming  to  say  good-by  to  me.  We 
are  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  the  canoes  that  are  to 
fei'ry  us  over  are  waiting. 

I  am  well  again.  My  feet  had  been  getting  betterev- 
er}'^  day.  With  the  skin  of  an  antelope  I  had  made  some 
kind  of  boots  to  protect  them.  You  would  have  laugh- 
ed if  you  had  seen  my  attempt  at  shoemaking. 

Remandji  is  by  my  side,  and  leads  me  to  the  river 
bank.  I  am  followed  by  my  x\sliiras.  We  get  into  the 
canoes.  Remand ji  and  I  look  at  each  other  for  tlie  last 
time.  I  take  liold  of  his  hand,  blow  upon  it,  and  I  am 
ofP!  Soon  after  I  stand  on  the  bluff  on  the  opposite 
shore.  A  wild  hurra  from  the  Apingi  I  have  just  left 
greets  our  ears.  Remandji  waves  his  hands  to  me.  I 
wave  mine  to  him,  and,  just  before  disappearing  in  the 
great  forest,  I  fire  a  gun,  and  look  back  for  the  last  time 
at  the  good  old  chief  and  at  his  people.  As  we  entered 
the  great  jungle,  the  sound  of  a  multitude  of  voices  dim- 
ly reaches  our  ears.  It  is  the  last  good-by  from  the  good 
Apingi  people  to  me. 


1  (J 0  J^  i'  -ii'/^N  «/  KINGD OM. 

Once  more  I  plunge  into  the  great  forest  toward  where 
the  sun  sets,  and  shall  not  stop  till  the  broad  Atlantic 
stops  my  footsteps. 

My  first  adventure  during  the  day  was  to  start  a  flock 
of  white-nosed  monkeys.  I  was  lucky  enough  to  kill 
the  very  biggest  of  the  flock.  But  how  he  dogged  me ! 
lie  seemed  to  know  that  I  was  after  him. 

The  rain  had  been  heavy  of  late,  and  tlie  forest  was  in 
many  places  muddy.  Toward  evening  I  spied  a  village 
situated  in  a  little  prairie  just  in  the  edge  of  the  woods. 
I  discovered  it  by  the  smoke  curling  up  from  the  huts, 
the  huts  themselves  being  low,  and  overshadowed  by  the 
background  and  tall  trees  of  the  forests.  As  there  was 
a  prospect  of  a  tornado,  I  insisted  on  going  to  the  village 
for  the  night. 

" But,"  said  Minsho,  "  suppose  they  are  enemies?  Sup- 
pose some  Ashira  are  there,  and  they  catch  us,  what 
then?" 

Pointing  to  my  revolvers,  I  said, "  Minsho,  ho  one  will 
capture  you  when  I  am  with  you."  Tliis  seemed  to  re- 
tissure  him. 

We  entered  the  village,  the  people  fleeing  at  the  same 
time.  The  old  chief  and  a  few  other  men  alone  re- 
mained. They  were  Bakalais.  These  Bakalais  people 
seem  to  be  scattered  all  over  the  country,  for  I  meet 
them  every  w^here,  and  they  always  seem  to  be  dreaded 
by  the  other  tribes. 

The  chief  gave  me  a  gazelle,  and  called  his  people 
back.  I  gave  them  a  few  beads.  I  could  not  give 
tliem  much,  for  you  know  I  was  very  poor. 

The  chief  gave  me  the  nicest  hut  in  his  village  to 
sleep  in ;  but,  toward  midnight,  I  was  suddenly  started 


THE  TOlty Alto  UPSETS  THE  VILLAGE.  Kjl 

from  my  sleep  by  the  roof  of  my  establishment  being 
swept  off  by  a  tornado,  which  had  come  down  with  fear- 
ful power.  I  tell  you  I  cleared  out  in  the  wink  of  an 
eve  into  the  middle  of  the  street.  The  whole  of  the  vil- 
lage was  upset.  There  was  not  a  roof  standing.  I  was 
blinded  by  the  lightning,  and  the  rain  began  to  fall  by 
the  bucketful.  The  thunder  was  deafening,  and  we  all 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  the  rain  pouring  down 
upon  ns  without  mercy,  and  my  clothes  sticking  to  me 
as  if  I  had  been  ducked  in  a  stream. 

The  next  morning  we  started,  and  had  an  awful  time 
of  it,  for  it  rained  hard  the  greater  part  of  the  day ;  and 
when  at  last  I  reached  the  Louvendji  Eiver,  it  was  so 
swollen,  and  the  water  rushed  down  with  such  a  fearful 
velocity,  that  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  cross.  We 
must  build  our  camp  close  to  its  banks,  and  there  wait 
as  patiently  as  we  could  for  the  waters  to  subside. 

This  part  of  the  forest  seemed  to  be  filled  with  bees. 
They  came  about  us  m  great  swarms,  and  plagued  us  out 
of  our  lives ;  and;  as  if  this  was  not  enough,  we  had  also 
the  boco,  the  ncliouna,  and  the  ibolai.  These  are  old 
enemies  of  ours,  as  you  well  know.  "We  were  also  tor- 
mented by  several  varieties  of  musquitoes.  Our  ripe 
plantains  seemed  to  attract  the  bees.  It  made  me  wish 
to  see  all  the  bee-hives  in  the  country  out  of  the  way, 
and  I  did  not  bless  the  boco,  nchouna,  and  ibolai.  The 
next  morning  I  thought  I  should  go  mad  with  the  igoo- 
guais.  I  have  described  to  you  all  these  pleasant  flies  in 
my  former  volumes. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  we  thought  we 
could  venture  to  cross,  although  the  current  was  still 
very  strono-.     Each   of  us  had   armed  liimself  with  r. 


162  MY  APING  I  KI^^GB  031. 

strong  stick  six  feet  long,  to  be  used  for  support  against 
the  strong  current,  as  no  one  could  have  crossed  without 
them. 

Minsho  started  first,  and,  before  we  knew  it,  he  tum- 
bled down,  and  rolled  over  in  the  foaming  billows  of 
the  Louvendji  several  times,  but,  after  a  hard  struggle,  he 
succeeded  in  getting  on  his  legs  again,  and  scrambled 
out  of  the  river.  As  the  waters  were  subsiding  fast,  we 
waited  about  three  hours  longer,  and  then  made  another 
trial. 

This  time  Minsho  had  no  idea  of  putting  himself  for- 
ward as  our  pioneer.  He  had  had  enough  in  the  first 
attempt.  Each  one  advised  his  neighbor  to  go  first.  One 
of  the  Ashiras  started,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
left  bank  with  very  little  trouble ;  but  I  saw  that  the  Aba- 
ter w^as  still  deep,  and,  as  he  was  tall  and  I  was  short,  I 
was  almost  sure  the  water  would  reach  above  my  head. 

At  last  my  tui-n  came.  I  entered  the  water,  holding 
firmly  to  m}^  stick.  The  current  daslied  against  me  at  a 
furious  rate,  but  I  held  my  own,  and,  as  I  approached 
the  left  bank,  a  long  liane  (vine)  was  held  out  to  me. 
I  seized  it,  and  made  a  great  effort  to  reach  the  bank. 
The  water  lifted  me  off  my  feet,  but  I  held  firmly,  and 
was  pulled  ashore. 

We  continued  our  route,  and  came  once  more  to  the 
dreaded  passage  of  the  Ovigui.  I  wish  the  Ovigui  had 
been  in  some  other  country.  The  stream  was  very  full, 
and  the  current  was  running  at  an  awful  speed.  It  was 
almost  up  to  our  neck  as  we  crossed  the  bridge,  clinging 
firmly  to  the  guards,  and  swept  against  us  impetuously. 
We  had  hardly  crossed  when  the  rain  began  to  fall  in 
torrents.     IS^o  fire  could  be  lighted,  though  the  night  was 


/  MEET  q UENG  UEZA.  -^q^ 

pitch-dark,  and  it  was  no  joke  to  receive  the  rain  all 
niglit  on  our  unprotected  bodies.  I  seated  myself  on  the 
little  chest  which  once  contained  my  clothes,  and  fired 
my  gun  fi'om  time  to  time  to  frigliten  the  leopards  and 
other  wild  beasts,  none  of  us  wanting  to  be  carried  off  by 
them. 

The  day  dawned  at  last,  and  we  reached  Olendo  in  the 
midst  of  most  tremendous  cheers.  None  of  us  had  per- 
ished. Then  I  became  very  home-sick.  I  had  nothing 
more  to  keep  me  in  Africa.  I  was  out  of  every  thing, 
and  I  longed  to  leave  the  Ashira  country.  So  I  made 
preparations  to  start  off  for  the  sea-shore  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

The  parting  day  came.  Every  thing  was  ready.  Olen- 
do said  good-by.  The  Ashira  and  Quengueza's  peoj)le, 
who  had  come  to  meet  me,  followed  me  till  I  disap- 
peared from  the  plain,  and  had  plimged  out  of  sight 
once  more  into  the  great  forest. 

We  had  hardly  been  gone  more  than  two  hours  when, 
before  we  knew  it,  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  large  army 
of  bashikouays.  Goodness  gracious!  I  shouted,  jump- 
ing as  high  as  I  could,  and  making  a  face,  which  showed 
at  once  that  I  felt  the  bites  of  these  dreadful  insects. 
They  seemed  to  bite  me  every  where,  and  they  were  dif- 
ferent from  the  other  bashikouay ;  in  fact,  these  were  a 
new  species.  They  were  larger,  stronger,  and  much 
slower  in  their  movement.  Their  bite  was  more  severe. 
Their  heads  were  armed  with  heavy  pincers,  which  took 
off  the  flesh  at  every  bite.  We  jumped  high  up  in  the  air 
to  avoid  them.  The  men,  at  every  bite,  would  say  hrew, 
hrew,  hrev),  which  is  an  exclamation  meaning  "  it  hurts." 
It  is  very  expressive. 


X  04  -^^  ^^  AFIXGI  KIXGD  OJI. 

At  length  we  reached  the  hanks  of  the  Ofoilhou. 
Quengueza's  canoes  were  waiting  for  us.  I  slept  at  good 
Obindji's.  The  next  day  we  started,  and  finally  reached 
the  village  of  Goumbi.  Quengueza  was  on  the  shores  to 
welcome  me.  How  happy  he  was  to  see  me.  How  hap- 
py I  was  to  see  that  he  was  qnite  well.  It  did  my  heart 
good  to  see  the  best  friend  I  had  in  Africa.  We  hugged 
each  other  in  the  good  old  African  fashion  among  equals. 
I  told  him  I  had  been  made  a  king.  I  can  stay  but  a  few 
days  witli  him.     I  must  go.     I  am  dreadfully  home-sick. 

A  few  days  after  this  I  arrived  in  Washington.  Ean- 
pano  welcomed  me.  My  houses  were  in  good  order,  and 
nothing  had  been  stolen  from  me.  The  people  are  hon- 
est, and  they  love  me. 

I  must  see  the  ocean.  How  it  made  my  heart  leap 
for  joy  when  I  saw  the  deep  blue  water !  It  was  grand. 
1  kneeled  down  on  the  sand,  and  thanked  God  for  his 
great  kindness  to  me,  the  poor  and  lonely  traveler  of  the 
jungle  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

How  glad  I  was  when  I  returned  to  that  dear  little 
bamboo  house  of  mine,  and  looked  at  the  dear  little 
akoko  (my  bed),  and  saw  my  little  clock  still  on  the  man- 
tel-piece waiting  for  me,  though  its  ticking  had  ceased. 
How  refreshing  it  was  to  see  the  little  comforts  that 
were  to  surround  me  once  more. 

I  immediately  went  to  look  into  several  tin  Japanese 
boxes  which  were  full  of  provisions  and  other  good 
things  to  eat.  In  one  there  was  a  little  coifee  and  tea, 
in  another  some  preserved  meat,  in  others  rice,  crackers, 
etc.  Xot  a  thing  had  been  touched.  It  would  never 
have  entered  the  head  of  good  Eanpano  or  any  of  his 
people  to  rob  me. 


UNPACEIXG  OF  BOXES.  167 

I  ^vish  you  could  have  seen  how  glad  the  Commi  were 
to  see  me ;  how  many  fowls  and  bunches  of  plantains 
they  brought  me. 

I  was  at  home  again ;  once  more  I  was  in  my  African 
home,  in  my  little  settlement  of  Washington.  There 
stood  piles  upon  piles  of  boxes  filled  with  trophies  of  my 
hunting,  all  well  preserved  and  well  kept  by  the  aid  of 
arsenic,  of  which,  when  I  left  New  York,  I  had  taken 
with  me  one  hundred  pounds. 

I  wish  you  had  been  with  me  when  I  unpacked  the  big 
boxes  which  contained  the  immense  collections  in  natu- 
ral history  I  had  made.  You  would  have  seen  that  I 
had  not  been  idle.  I  am  sure  you  would  have  been  de- 
lio-hted  with  the  sio-lit  of  those  boxes.  There  would  come 
out  of  one  a  huge  gorilla,  a  chimpanzee,  or  nshiego 
mbouve ;  from  another  a  wild  boar,  an  antelope,  or  a 
gazelle ;  then  from  another  would  come  out  hundreds 
of  birds,  with  smaller  quadrupeds.  Then  came  another 
box ;  then  would  come  crocodiles,  queer-looking  turtles, 
stuifed  fish  and  snakes.  The  next  would  be  a  box  of 
shells,  then  one  of  insects  and  butterflies,  and  another 
containing  otters,  hyenas,  leopards,  squirrels,  wild  cats, 
rats,  mice,  and  I  do  not  know  what  else. 

Wliat  are  these  big  things  ?  They  are  manatees.  Then 
come  three  huge  hippopotami.  I  opened  their  stom 
achs,  and  there  came  out  from  their  inside  gorillas  and 
their  skeletons,  and  any  amount  of  stuffed  wild  beasts. 
Eveiy  animal  I  killed  I  stuffed  and  brought  home,  with 
the  exception  of  the  elephants,  for  I  did  not  know  how 
I  could  ever  carry  a  stuffed  elepliant  through  tlic  jim- 
gle.  I  am  sure  you  will  agree  witli  me,  it  would  be  a 
most  difficult  work.     The  liippopotami,  whicli,  of  course, 


X  6  8  ^^'^  APING  I  KIXOD  OM. 

I  killed  by  the  river  side,  I  could  put  in  canoes  and 
send  to  Washington  by  water.  I  have  given  one  of  their 
skins  to  my  distinguished  friend  Bierstadt,  whose  magnifi- 
cent paintings  some  of  you  have  seen.  I  can  assure  you 
it  was  an  immense  work  for  me  to  carry  these  collections 
through  the  jungle  and  take  them  to  my  different  depots, 
till  I  took  them  to  my  settlement  of  Washington.  It 
would  have  made  your  heart  glad  to  see  the  many  species 
of  birds  and  animals  which  were  entirely  new,  and  which 
I  have  since  described  before  scientific  societies.  There 
were  also  boxes  which  did  not  contain  skins  of  wild 
beasts  or  other  specimens.  You  would  have  seen  that 
they  contained  queer  guitars  covered  with  snake  skin  or 
elephants'  ears.  You  would  have  seen  handja,  terrible- 
looking  spears,  huge  square  knives,  long,  double-edged, 
sharp-pointed  knives,  bags  of  poisoned  arrows,  sharp- 
pointed  axes,  war-axes,  shields  made  with  the  skin  of 
the  elephant,  and  other  fearful  implements  of  war  made 
by  those  sa^■ages ;  and  you  w^ould  have  shouted  with  one 
voice,  "  Oh,  Friend  Paul,  we  wish  we  had  been  with  you 
in  those  great  forests  of  Equatorial  Africa !" 

And  now  let  us  take  a  cruise  along  the  western  coast 
of  Africa,  live  a  great  part  of  the  time  on  board  of  a 
ship,  and  see  new  countries,  unlike  the  regions  where  we 
have  been  wandering  together  so  long. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  ISLAND  OF  ISIADEIKA. — SAILING  FOK  SENEGAL. — A  HUGE 

SHOAL    OF    PORPOISES. THEY    SWIM    SO   FAST. HAEPOON- 

ING    PORPOISES. —  REJOICING    ON   BOARD. —  HOW   PORPOISE 
MEAT   TASTES. 

Some  years  ago  I  visited  the  beautiful  island  of  Ma- 
deira, where  we  had  come  to  revictual  after  a  most  se- 
vere storm,  under  the  violence  of  which  our  ship  almost 
foundered.  Our  boats  had  been  carried  away,  the  live- 
stock had  been  washed  off  by  the  waves,  our  provisions 
had  been  partly  destroyed,  and  for  a  few  hours  we  were 
in  danger  of  going  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  It  was 
the  first  great  storm  I  had  experienced  at  sea,  and  the 
waves  appeared  frightful  to  me,  for  I  was  no  sailor  at  all. 

How  beautiful  was  that  island  of  Madeira,  with  its  hills 
covered  with  grape-vines,  and  trees  bearing  all  kinds  of 
fruits.  Bananas,  pears,  apples,  chestnuts,  walnuts,  or- 
anges, lemons,  and  grapes  were  to  be  found  in  great 
abundance.  In  fact,  almost,  if  not  all  the  fruits  belong- 
ing to  the  temperate  zone  seem  to  be  there,  with  othei*s 
belonging  to  tropical  climates. 

Our  vessel  was  called  The  Roland,  commanded  by  a 
rough  but  good-hearted  captain.  I  made  great  friends 
with  a  sailor  by  the  name  of  John,  who  was  always 
ready,  when  off  duty,  to  do  any  thing  for  me. 

For  several  days  after  leaving  the  island,  wlien  ready 
to  continue  our  voyage,  the  breeze  was  fair  and  the  sky 

H 


1'70  MY  APIXOI  KINGDOM. 

clear.  Only  a  few  wliite,  fleecy  clouds  were  tossed  about 
by  the  wind.  The  sun  shone  upon  the  sails  of  our  ship 
all  day,  and  made  them  appear  of  a  snowy  whiteness. 
The  beautiful  blue  sky  seemed  to  give  its  color  to  the 
sea,  which  appeared  more  blue  by  the  contrast  of  the 
white  caps  of  its  gentle  waves.  How  I  enjoyed  the  breeze 
as  it  blew  upon  my  face !  I  could  feel  that  it  made  me 
strong.  What  an  appetite  it  gave  me.  In  the  evening 
I  would  watch  the  w^ake  of  the  ship,  which  was  like  a 
line  of  fire. 

The  Roland  was  a  good  sailer,  and  many  a  time  w^e 
were  going  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour.  We  were 
bound  for  West  Africa.  The  Senegal  country  was  the 
first  land  we  intended  to  put  our  feet  upon  after  leav- 
ing the  vessel.  A  few  days  brought  us  to  the  leeward 
of  the  island  of  Teneriffe.  I  shall  never  forget  the  time 
when  I  got  a  sight  of  the  high-towering  and  snowy  peak. 
It  was  in  the  morning.  Not  a  cloud  hung  over  the  land. 
The  island,  for  about  a  third  of  its  height,  was  covered 
with  snow.  It  rose  before  us  like  an  enchanted  land — a 
land  which  seemed  to  rise  so  high  that  it  looked  as  if  it 
wanted  to  kiss  the  sky.  It  rose  right  from  the  sea  to  a 
height  of  more  than  12,000  feet. 

It  was  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten.  To  this  day  I 
have  this  island  before  me.  I  remember  well  that  when 
the  shades  of  evening  cast  their  gloom  over  the  sea, 
this  tall,  giant-like  island  appeared  to  me  like  a  ghost 
gradually  fading  away  from  my  sight.  My  eyes  were 
riveted  upon  the  spot,  though  I  could  see  nothing,  till  the 
captain  called  to  me,  "  What  are  you  doing  there  ?  You 
seem  as  still  as  a  statue."  He  was  right.  I  was  think- 
ing, when  he  awoke  me  from  my  deep  thoughts,  of  the 


A  CALM  AT  SEA.  ]^Y1 

tremendous  volcanic  outburst  that  must  have  taken  place 
to  raise  the  island  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea — what 
a  powerful  uprising  of  the  fiery  elements  below;  for 
Teneriffe  is  entirely  of  volcanic  origin.  As  the  island 
faded  fi-om  sight,  I  knew  that  I  should  probably  never 
see  it  again,  and  I  silently  said  good-by  to  it.  That 
very  same  night  a  gale  of  wind  blew,  which  made  the 
ship  roll  and  pitch  in  a  way  that  was  not  comfortable. 
Happily,  the  storm  lasted  only  a  few  hours. 

My  heart,  during  the  voyage,  was  bounding  with  joy, 
for  I  was  going  to  a  country  which  I  had  never  seen, 
and  of  which  I  had  read  so  much.  Senegal  was  to  be 
one  point  we  were  to  visit.  We  were  going  to  sail  along 
the  coast  which  forms  the  boundary  of  the  great  Sahara, 
The  navigation  was  dangerous,  and  woe  to  the  poor 
shipwrecked  mariner  who  is  cast  upon  that  inhospitable 
coast. 

I  shall  see  the  wild  Ai-ab,  or  Moor-,  I  shall  ride  on 
the  back  of  a  camel ;  I  shall  get  a  glimpse  at  the  huge 
baobab-tree,  and  probably  meet  with  all  kinds  of  adven- 
tures. 

I  feel  in  high  spirits.  The  voyage  has  thus  far  been 
prosperous.  The  wind  has  been  fair  a  great  part  of  the 
time.  The  health  of  the  crew  is  good,  and  all  tlie  dam- 
age the  great  storm  has  done  to  the  ship  has  been  re- 
paired •,  so  you  will  not  wonder  that  I  feel  happy  and 
hopeful. 

One  afternoon  a  dead  calm  overtook  us.  There  was 
not  a  ripple  on  the  water,  which  was  as  smooth  as  a  mir- 
ror, but  the  heavy  swells  of  the  sea  made  the  vessel  roll 
in  the  most  fearful  manner,  for  the  sails  were  of  no  use 
in  steadying  her.     They  only  flapped  and  flapped  against 


j^'j'2  ^^Y  APUiOI  EIXGDOM. 

the  mast  with  such  force  that  I  really  thought  the  whole 
rigging,  with  mast,  would  break  down.  Happily,  every 
thing  on  board  was  lashed  carefully  to  the  bulwarks  or 
to  the  iron  rings  in  the  deck,  which  were  fastened  to  the 
beams  underneath. 

The  rays  of  the  sun  were  pouring  down  upon  us  with 
great  force. 

When  thus  becalmed,  the  vessel  became  unmanagea- 
ble, the  rudder  was  of  no  use  whatever,  and  the  poor 
ship  was  literally  swinging  round  and  round  in  a  circle. 

We  did  not  like  it  at  all.  We  knew  that  we  might  be 
becalmed  for  several  days,  and  the  prospect  of  a  fair 
passage  to  Senegambia  became  blue  as  the  sea.  The 
captain  hoped,  however,  that  after  sunset  a  breeze  would 
spring  up.  We  were  disappointed.  After  sundown  it 
did  not  come.  I  w^as  tired  out,  for  it  was  impossible  for 
a  man  to  stand  up.  I  had  to  hold  fast  to  a  rope  in  order 
not  to  be  flung  to  the  other  side  of  the  vessel  head  fore- 
most. 

That  night  it  was  impossible  for  any  body  to  sleep, 
and  as  for  eating  at  the  table,  I  gave  it  up ;  but  I  man- 
aged to  eat  what  I  could,  in  a  very  uncomfortable  man- 
ner, on  deck.  I  can  tell  you  that  in  such  a  time  we  did 
not  care  for  hot  coffee  or  soup. 

Oh  glad  was  I  when  the  morning  came.  At  sunrise  a 
hght  breeze  greeted  us,  and  soon  after  we  were  under 
good  headway  again.  I  was  sitting  at  the  bow  of  the 
vessel,  holding  fast  to  a  rope  with  one  hand,  and  watch- 
ing the  vessel  as  she  went  through  the  water,  which  she 
seemed  to  cut  in  two.  Oh,  how  beautiful  is  a  fine  morn- 
ing at  sea  in  that  region !  The  tropical  breeze  was  fan- 
ning us,  and  seemed  to  come  from  balmy  lands  to  wel- 


THE  TSAVELING  PORPOISES.  173 

come  nie.  The  sky  was  blue,  and  the  water  seemed  still 
bluer  than  the  sky  ;  and  the  sun,  as  it  shone  upon  the  sea, 
seemed  to  say,  "  I  am  the  source  of  all  life  in  this  world." 
The  sailors,  meantime,  were  busy  washing  the  deck, 
in  which  the  captain  took  great  pride,  it  was  so  white 
and  clean.  The  cook  was  busy  preparing  breakfast,  and 
every  thing  was  alive  on  board  the  good  ship  Roland. 

While  sitting  at  the  bow,  as  I  have  described,  I  sud- 
denly spied  ahead  of  us  an  immense  number  of  por- 
poises, swimming  and  jumping  out  of  the  water,  and 
seeming  to  be  migrating  to  some  other  region  in  the 
ocean.  As  they  were  moving  from  east  to  west,  they 
were  going  to  cross  our  bows,  and  I  shouted, "  Captain, 
poi'poises  are  ahead  of  us !"  He  gave  a  look,  and  an- 
swered, "  That  is  so — that  is  so ;  let  us  see  if  we  can  not 
kill  one  for  diimer."  The  porpoises  were  moving  along 
like  a  vast  army,  thousands  and  thousands  of  them  to- 
gether. Onward  they  swam,  stopping  for  nothing  in 
their  migration,  every  now  and  then  springing  clear  out 
of  the  water.  And  how  fast  they  did  swim !  I  believe 
the  porpoise  to  be  one  of  the  fastest  fishes  in  the  sea. 

"  Get  the  harpoon  ready !"  shouted  the  captain.  "  John, 
take  the  harpoon,  go  under  the  bowsprit,  and  harpoon 
one  of  these  fellows  if  you  can." 

"  Captain,"  I  shouted, "  let  me  have  a  hai-poon  too ;  I 
nmst  try  to  harpoon  one  of  these  porpoises." 

"  If  you  try,"  said  he, "  3'ou  must  be  tied  fast  with  a 
cord  round  your  waist,  for,  as  sure  as  you  live,  if  you  are 
not  made  secure  with  a  rope,  you  will  drop  into  the 
water,  and  that  will  be  the  end  of  you.  John,"  said  he, 
"fasten  a  rope  round  your  waist  also."  It  Avas  hardly 
said  when  the  captain  had  a  rope  round  me,  as  he  want- 


174  -^^  APINGI  KINOD03Z 

ed  to  make  sure  himself  that  I  was  safe.  John  had  made 
himself  secure.  My  harpoon  was  a  real  nice  one,  which 
had  done  good  service  before  in  harpooning  porpoises, 
and  had  also  gone  into  the  bodies  of  a  good  many  sharks. 

By  the  time  we  were  ready  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
porpoises.  They  did  not  seem  to  be  frightened  at  all  by 
the  ship,  and  they  swam  so  fast  that  they  seemed  to  skim 
throuffh  the  w^ater.  Some  of  them  must  have  really 
gone  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  an  hour.  I 
was  perfectly  amazed.  They  must  have  thought  our 
ship  was  a  big  floating  rock,  for  many  would  swim  round 
and  round  us,  and  that  when  we  were  going  at  the  rate 
of  nine  knots  (miles)  an  hour,  and  seemed  to  make  no 
effort  to  accomplish  the  feat.  They  would  pass  under 
our  bowsprit  with  the  rapidity  of  an  express  train.  Three 
times  John  had  sent  his  harpoon  at  them,  and  three  times 
he  had  missed  them.  I  had  sent  mine  twice,  and,  of 
course,  I  had  missed. 

"  John,"  said  I, "  we  must  harpoon  one  of  these  fel- 
lows, for  I  hear  they  are  good  to  eat."  "  I  bet  they  are," 
said  John ;  "  the  liver  is  splendid  eating,  cooked  with 
onions.  The  meat  has  no  taste  of  fish,  and  looks  some- 
what like  beef."  This  splendid  prospect  of  a  good  meal 
made  me  feel  more  than  ever  that  one  of  these  porpoises 
must  be  harpooned.  I  was  tired  of  pork  and  salt  beef^ 
and  then  I  had  never  tasted  of  a  porpoise,  and  wanted  to 
know  if  they  were  really  good.  Some  of  them  did  not 
swim  so  fast  as  others.  See,  one  is  coming!  John's 
eyes  are  upon  it,  and  his  harpoon  is  ready.  I  am  watch- 
ing ;  I  am  ready  too.  Down  goes  John's  harpoon ;  mine 
goes  down  at  the  same  time.  I  have  struck  a  porpoise ! 
The  captain,  who  by  this  time  is  by  me,  seizes  the  line 


HAULING  IN  rOKPOISES. 


175 


HAKi'oO-MNG  ruuroiSES. 


of  the  harpoon.  The  blood  of  the  porpoise  darkens  the 
bhie  sea  as  we  slowly  draw  him  in  over  the  side  of  the 
ship. 

John,  too,  has  harpooned  a  big  fellow,  and  the  crew 
comes  to  assist  in  hauling  him  in. 

There  is  a  desperate  struggle  from  the  porpoises.  It 
is  of  no  avail.  They  are  on  deck'.  1  am  wild  with  ex- 
citement. I  shout,  "  I  have  harpooned  a  porpoise !"  I 
really  thought  I  had  done  a  wonderful  thing.  Tliis  ])or- 
poisc  measured  over  six  feet,  and  what  a  beautiful  cdur ! 


176  MY  APIXOI  KIN0D03L 

I  really  do  not  think  it  belongs  to  the  same  s^Decies  which 
we  have  at  home,  for  I  do  not  remember  having  seen  a 
single  specimen  near  the  African  coast  similar  to  tliis. 
These  are  always  met  in  the  middle  ocean.  The  color 
on  the  back  was  grayish-black,  while  the  sides  were 
somewhat  grayer,  and  tlie  abdomen  was  whitish.  It 
must  have  weighed  two  or  three  hnndred  pounds. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  on  board,  for  we  were  to 
have  plenty  of  food.  The  cook  came  with  his  huge  knife 
to  help  the  sailors,  and  the  two  poor  porpoises  were  soon 
cut  to  pieces.  They  had  no  fat  whatever.  The  flesh 
was  red,  and  not  unlike  that  of  beef.  The  liver,  being 
considered  by  the  sailors  as  the  best  part  of  the  fish,  was 
given  to  the  captain. 

For  dinner  we  had  porpoise  steak,  and  it  was  not  bad 
at  all.  Sailors  being  fond  of  onions,  the  steaks  were 
surrounded  with  them.  I  did  not  care,  as  there  were  no 
ladies  on  board ;  as  for  the  liver,  it  was  perfectly  ex- 
quisite. We  had  a  glass  of  good  wine  after  dinner  that 
day.  The  sailors  had  a  jolly  time,  and  ate  ad  libitum 
of  the  flesh. 

In  the  evening  they  felt  quite  jolly,  and  smoked  their 
pipes  with  great  delight,  and  sang  a  great  many  songs. 
I  felt  very  happy  to  see  these  good  sailors  enjoying  them- 
selves. These  poor  fellows  have  a  hard  life,  and  we  do 
not  know  how  much  we  are  under  obligations  to  them 
for  fetching  to  us  from  distant  climes  many  of  the  lux- 
uries we  enjoy.  jk 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

APPROACHING    THE    SENEGAL. —  SAILOES'    YAENS. —  DANGER- 
OUS  NAVIGATION. —  SHIPWRECKS    OF   VESSELS. — TERRIBLE 

SUTTEEING    OF    THE     CREW    OF    THE    MARGARET. OUR 

FEARS. — TAKING    SOUNDINGS. 

We  were  getting  every  day  nearer  our  point  of  des- 
tination, and  approaching  the  great  desert  of  Sahara. 

Our  evenings  were  spent  with  the  captain  in  relating 
our  adventures.  The  captain  had  traveled  all  round  the 
world,  and  spoke  to  me  of  strange  countries  where  I  had 
never  been.  Oh,  I  wished  to  go  where  he  had  been — to 
China,  Japan,  India,  and  the  East  Indian  Arcliipelago. 
He  had  seen  the  orang-outang  in  its  native  wilds.  He 
had  been  in  Brazil,  the  "West  Indies,  and  many  islands 
of  the  Pacific.  But  then  he  had  not  been  in  the  equa- 
torial regions  of  Africa.  He  had  not  seen  the  gorilla, 
the  chimpanzee,  the  nshiego  mbouve,  or  the  kooloo-kam- 
ba.  Now  and  then  I  would  have  a  talk  with  the  sailore 
on  the  forecastle,  for  I  love  the  sailors  dearly.  Yes,  they 
are  blunt,  rough  if  you  like,  but  they  are  natural.  They 
always  say  right  out  what  they  mean,  and  are  almost 
always  kind-liearted.  Those  who  are  not  are  rare  ex- 
ceptions. 

They  would  frequently  tell  me  about  their  wild  pranks, 
and  what  a  laugh  we  would  have  over  some  of  them ! 
At  other  times  thev  would  almost  start  tears  from  mv 

II  2 


l^jg  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

eyes  by  telling  me  some  of  their  great  trials,  shipwrecks, 
and  stories  of  starvation  and  thirst  on  desert  islands. 
Especially  was  my  heart  full  of  sympathy  for  them  when 
I  heard  their  story  of  their  lying  in  port  surrounded  by 
pestilence  and  death,  the  yellow  fever,  the  black  vomit — 
these  terrible  scoui-ges  carrying  away  sometimes  almost 
every  body  on  board,  and  often  leavhig  but  one  or  two 
as  witnesses  of  the  terrible  plague,  so  that  they  might 
tell  the  story  of  their  sufferings  to  their  fellow-men.  At 
other  times  they  would  tell  of  their  hardships  on  the 
coast  of  Africa,  and  the  terrible  fever  they  had  been 
subjected  to  in  the  Gulf  of  Guinea.  It  was  by  moon- 
light that  we  had  our  last  talk.  The  evenings  were  cool 
and  pleasant,  and  it  was  so  nice  on  deck ! 

At  last  the  voyage  drew  near  its  close.  The  captain 
expected  soon  to  see  land.  We  were  not  to  see  green 
fields,  nor  hills  covered  with  trees,  but  the  sandy  and 
bleak  shores  of  the  great  desert  of  Sahara,  and  feel  its 
hot  winds. 

Tlie  face  of  the  captain  began  to  appear  anxious  as  we 
approached  the  shore,  for  we  were  nearing  the  famous 
land  of  Arguin,  where  many  and  many  a  wreck  had 
taken  place.  There  the  Medusa  found  her  watery  grave, 
and  many  of  the  brave  hearts  that  were  on  board  died  on 
the  raft  they  had  made,  after  long  days  of  agony  from 
starvation  and  thirst. 

And  no  wonder  that  the  captain  began  to  feel  anxious, 
for  the  navigation  became  more  dangerous  as  we  ap- 
proached nearer  and  nearer  to  the  coast  of  Arguin.  The 
natives  were  fierce,  and  the  shipwrecked  people  were 
either  murdered,  or  made  to  suffer  the  most  abominable 
kind  of  slavery. 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY.  I79 

At  last,  one  afternoon,  we  got  sight  of  land  north  of 
Cape  Blanco.  The  next  day  we  rounded  the  cape,  and 
came  to  the  Bay  of  Arguin,  which  is  most  dangerous 
to  na%'i2ators  on  account  of  its  numerous  banks  and 
shoals. 

I  beo-an  to  feel  anxious  too.  I  did  not  care  to  be 
made  a  slave.  I  did  not  care  to  travel  as  the  slave  of  a 
wandering  Arab  or  Moor  in  the  great  desert.  The  very 
thought  made  me  shudder;  and  I  am  sure,  my  dear 
young  folks,  that  you  would  ha\'e  felt  the  same,  for  you 
know  what  the  fate  of  many  a  shipwrecked  sailor  has 
been  in  that  part  of  the  world.  The  stories  of  their  suf- 
ferings have  been  published  far  and  wide. 

The  evening  of  the  dav  when  we  reached  such  dan^ 
gerous  ground,  the  captain  related  to  me  stories  of  some 
of  the  wrecks  that  had  taken  place  there.  I  well  re- 
member that  of  a  friend  of  his,  who  was  on  board  of  the 
ill-fated  "  William  Yaughan." 

The  "  WiUiam  Yaughan"  left -London  on  the  29th  of 
April,  1844.  On  the  20th  of  May  she  rounded  Cape 
Blanco,  and  entered  the  Bay  of  Arguin.  Suddenly  the 
ship  found  itself  in  shallow  water ;  but,  before  she  could 
be  got  round,  she  stuck  fast  in  the  sand.  Large  quanti- 
ties of  ballast  were  thrown  overboard,  the  ship  was  light- 
ened, and  the  next  day  she  was  afloat.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  chief  mate  had  been  sent  to  take  soundings 
ahead,  for  all  the  charts  were  incorrect,  no  doubt  on  ac- 
count of  the  shifting  of  the  sand-banks.  The  sea  being 
very  heavy,  he  was  obliged  to  anchor  his  boat  for  the 
night  under  the  island.  Just  as  he  was  rounding  the 
point  again  to  return  to  the  ship  next  morning,  he  saw 
two  natives  and  a  white  man  coming  toward  tlio  boat. 


■j^ gQ  M  Y  APIXOI  KIXGD OM. 

Was  it  possible  ?  It  was  so.  Tlie  white  man  hailed  the 
boat  in  English.  He  was  a  countryman — a  poor  unfor- 
tunate white  man  that  had  been  wrecked.  The  kind- 
hearted  mate  again  rounded  the  point,  where  the  sea  was 
not  so  heavy,  to  take  in  his  countryman.  But  the  mo- 
ment he  landed  the  two  natives  set  upon  him  and  beat 
him  unmercifully  with  bludgeons.  The  poor  mate  had 
landed  unarmed.  Kevolvers  at  that  time  were  not  in 
use,  though  pistols  were  known.  They  would  not  have 
caught  me  in  such  a  scrape.  I  never  leave  my  revolvers 
any  where,  especially  when  traveling  in  a  wild  and  dan- 
gerous country.  One  of  the  sailors  hastened  back  to  the 
boat  and  fetched  a  gun,  which  he  gave  to  the  natives,  who 
took  it  and  ran  away,  leaving  the  poor  white  man  in  their 
hands. 

How  glad  the  poor  fellow  must  have  been  when  he 
saw  his  countryman !  How  his  heart  must  have  beat  at 
the  thought  that  his  days  of  slavery  were  over,  and  how 
he  must  have  thanked  God  for  his  safe  delivery ! 

Then  came  his  sad  story.  He  belonged  to  the  bark 
Margaret,  of  London,  which  had  been  wrecked  the  pre- 
cedino-  year,  in  the  same  month  of  May.  ISTearly  all  the 
hands  had  been  murdered  by  the  savages,  and  those  who 
were  not  had  been  made  slaves.  Four  more  were  upon 
the  island.  When  they,  reached  the  vessel,  and  the  cap- 
tain was  made  acquainted  with  the  facts,  he  immediate- 
ly took  means  to  ransom  his  countrymen.  The  natives 
agreed  to  receive  a  certain  amount  of  goods,  and  then 
release  the  prisoners;  but  after  they  had  received  the 
amount  they  asked  for  more ;  and,  after  this  second  de- 
mand was  granted,  they  again  asked  for  more,  and  final- 
ly fired  at  the  men,  and  compelled  them  to  flee  for  their 


THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  "  WILLIAM  VAUQHAN:'         181 

lives  and  to  take  refuge  in  their  boats,  leaving  their  prop- 
erty behind. 

The  boat  had  gone  ashore  well  prepared.  They  had  a 
small  brass  gun  on  board,  but  it  would  seem  that  they  did 
not  know  how  to  make  effective  use  of  it.  It  appears  to 
have  been  too  heavily  loaded,  for  when  it  was  fired  it  re- 
coiled with  such  force  that  one  of  the  gunners  was  kill- 
ed, and,  in  falling  overboard,  by  some  unaccountable  mis- 
fortune he  upset  the  boat,  and  all  the  ten  men  were  either 
drowned  or  killed.  Not  one  of  them  came  to  tell  the 
story  of  their  fate.  The  natives  got  possession  of  the 
boat,  righted  and  loaded  her  up  with  warriors,  and  came 
to  attack  the  vessel.  Only  four  men  and  the  captain 
were  left  on  board. 

It  must  have  been  a  terrible  moment  of  suspense 
among  these  five  men.  They  knew  it  was  a  question  of 
life  or  death.  Every  thing  was  ready  for  a  deadly  fight. 
Hatchets,  matches,  sabres,  guns,  pistols  were  at  hand, 
and  every  thing  that  was  heavy  and  handy  to  throw  into 
the  boat.  What  a  feeling  of  anguish  there  must  have 
been  in  the  hearts  of  these  men !  All  their  companions 
were  dead,  and  they  knew  that  the  same  fate  awaited 
them  if  they  were  captured,  for  these  cruel  savages  would 
show  no  mercy. 

The  boat  came  nearer  and  nearer.  It  was  swarming 
with  savage  men ;  but  fortunately,  as  it  came  broadside, 
the  master,  who  was  no  doubt  a  good  gunner,  took  care- 
ful aim,  fired  and  sunk  her,  with  all  on  board.  Then  he 
slipped  his  cable,  and.  Math  only  four  men  for  a  crew, 
sailed  off.  How  anxious  the  poor  captain  and  crew 
must  have  felt,  and  how  much  thev  must  have  dreaded 
those  treacherous  Ran(l-l)auks  in  the  Bay  of  Arguin,  for 


J82  MY  APINOI  KINODOM. 

thej  knew  what  fate  awaited  them  if  they  were  wrecked. 
How  much  thej  must  have  felt  the  loss  of  their  brave 
companions,  whose  kind  hearts  and  courage  led  them  to 
try  to  rescue  their  fellow-countrymen.  How  desolate 
and  dreary  the  deck  of  that  poor  ship  must  have  seemed. 
The  merry  songs  of  the  sailors  were  heard  no  more  as 
they  furled  and  unfurled  the  sails. 

No  doubt  the  frenzy  of  the  savages  on  shore  was  terri- 
ble when  they  saw  that  so  many  of  their  number  had 
perished ;  they  must  have  precipitated  themselves  like 
tigers  on  the  poor  white  men  ashore,  and  cut  them  to 
pieces. 

See  how  rash  it  was  for  these  men  to  fire  the  big  gun 
from  their  boat.  What  good  could  they  have  done  ? 
If  they  had  killed  any  of  the  natives  on  shore,  the  white 
men  would  have  been  murdered  instantly ;  so  it  would 
have  been  far  wiser  for  tliem  to  go  on  board  without 
firing.  It  shows  that,  in  a  case  like  the  one  just  related, 
it  is  very  important  for  men  to  be  cool  and  calculating, 
to  look  ahead,  and  to  let  the  head  control  the  impulses 
of  the  heart. 

Some  of  you  may  perhaps  remember  that  in  "  Lost  in 
the  Jungle"  I  gave  you  an  account  of  a  trial  for  witch- 
ci'aft,  where  a  great  friend  of  mine  was  accused  of  sor- 
eery  and  killed.  How  I  fought  in  my  heart !  I  was  on 
the  point  of  rushing  among  the  crowd  and  shooting 
down  the  natives  that  held  her.  Oli,  I  remember  how 
near  I  was  to  doing  it ;  but  suddenly  reason  told  me  not 
to  do  it.  It  seemed  to  me  very  hard  that  reason  should 
govern  the  kind  impulse  of  my  heart ;  but  I  let  reason 
have  the  upper  hand.  I  suj^pose,  if  I  had  fired  and  kill- 
ed the  nephews,  and  sons,  and  people  of  my  friend  King 


THROWISG  THE  LEAD.  i83 

Queiigiieza,  and  fled,  even  if  I  had  not  been  killed,  the 
good  chief  would  have  said  to  me,  "  White  man,  whom  I 
love,  why  have  you  killed  my  people  ?  What  have  they 
done  to  you  ?     To  save  one  you  have  killed  several." 

So  what  a  pity  it  was  that  the  men  in  the  boat  were 
so  rash.  Of  course,  it  was  hard  to  be  attacked  for  noth- 
ing, and  if  there  had  been  no  white  man  ashore  they 
would  have  been  right  in  firing  at  the  natives  for  their 
treachery.  But  white  men  had  to  be  saved,  and  pru- 
dence would  have  been  the  best  policy.  They  might 
have  told  the  story  to  some  man-of-war  on  the  coast, 
whose  captain  would  have  been  able,  no  doubt,  to  ran- 
som the  men ;  if  not,  he  would  have  been  able  to  inflict 
on  the  natives  such  terrible  punishment  that  they  would 
not  have  been  ready  to  fire  again. 

You  will  not  be  astonished  to  hear,  after  this,  that  there 
were  men  constantly  on  the  watch.  One  sailor  was  al- 
ways kept  at  the  top  of  the  mainmast,  the  time  of  his 
watch  being  two  hours,  when  another  would  relieve  him. 
Men  were  continually  throwing  out  the  lead  to  take  sound- 
ings. It  is  not  every  sailor  who  knows  how  to  throw  the 
lead,  and  only  three  on  board  were  skillful  at  it.  I  can 
assure  you  it  is  hard  work — an  elongated  piece  of  lead, 
flat  at  one  end,  and  smeared  with  tallow,  so  that  when  it 
touched  the  bottom  they  could  ascertain  the  character  of 
the  bed  of  the  sea  where  the  lead  was  cast.  If  it  was 
mud,  of  course  mud  would  show  on  the  tallow,  and  if  it 
was  sand,  sand  would  show,  etc.,  etc.  This  piece  of  lead 
appeared  to  weigh  about  from  twelve  to  fifteen  pounds. 
It  was  attached  to  a  long  line,  which  could  go  with  the 
lead  to  a  depth  of  about  sixty  fathoms.  Sailors  always 
measure  by  fatlioms  (s'X  feet). 


184 


MT  APING  I  KINGDOM. 


HEAVIISfl   THE   LEAD. 


The  sailor  who  was  to  throw  the  lead  stood  in  the  rig- 
ging of  the  foremast,  just  outside  of  the  bulwark.  He 
held  the  line,  which  was  so  coiled  about  his  right  arm 
that  it  would  pay  out  easil}',  about  six  feet  from  the  end 
to  which  the  lead  was  fastened.  Before  throwing  it,  he 
would  swing  it  a  moment  with  great  force,  and  then,  let- 
ting go,  send  the  heavy  lead  flpng  ahead  beyond  the  bow 
of  the  ship  before  it  struck  the  water. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

AT  THE    MOUTH    OF    THE    GREAT    SENEGAL    EITEE. APPEAR- 
ANCE   OF   THE    COUNTRY. A   VILLAGE. THE   HOUSES. A 

SANDY  COUNTRY. HOW  THE  PEOPLE  CARRY  MnjK. 

We  passed  throngh  the  mnch-dreaded  region  without 
any  serious  mishap.  Our  vessel  arrived  before  the  great 
Senegal  River,  and  anchored  outside  of  the  bar.  I  must 
confess  that  I  was  veiy  glad,  for  I  did  not  relish  the  idea 
of  a  wreck  on  the  inhospitable  shores  I  have  just  de- 
scribed to  you. 

A  few  davs  after  the  arri\al  of  the  Roland.  I  was 
quietly  settled  in  a  quaint  old  negro  town  on  the  sea- 
shore opposite  the  island  of  St.  Louis,  the  chief  French 
settlement  on  the  Senegal  River.  What  a  queer  village 
it  was !  It  had  stood  on  the  same  spot  for  several  gen- 
erations, on  the  narrow  tongue  of  land  which  separated 
the  river  from  the  sea,  a  few  miles  from  its  mouth.  This 
land  miglit  properfy  be  called  tlie  beginning  of  the  Great 
Sahara.  On  the  left  or  south  of  the  vilhxge,  as  far  as 
tlie  mouth  of  the  river,  the  eye  met  only  a  continuous 
stretch  of  white  sand ;  on  the  right  or  north,  the  same 
aspect  of  country  presented  itself  to  view ;  but  as  the 
eye  followed  the  shore  northward,  the  extent  of  country 
became  broader,  and  toward  the  river  side  stunted  trees 
and  scraggy  bushes  or  shrubs  were  \isible  on  approach- 
ing its  banlcs;  otherwise  a  vast  sandy  tract  of  country 


186 


lYY  APIXOI  EINODOM. 


was  all  that  could  be  seen.  The  country  presented  an 
appearance  of  utter  desolation,  entirely  unlike  the  great 
equatorial  regions  where  I  have  led  you  in  this  and  the 
three  preceding  volumes.  How  uuhke  the  villages  of  the 
forest  was  this  village  of  the  lower  Senegal  country.  It 
was  built  on  the  downs  or  sandy  hills  which  had  been 
formed  by  the  sands  which  were  constantly  accumula- 
ting there  by  being  shifted  from  the  Great  Desert  by  the 
winds  blowing  from  it.  Some  of  these  sand-hills  were 
quite  high. 


VILLAGE   OK   THE   LOWER   SENEGAL. 


The  houses  were  round,  the  walls  built  of  clay  collect- 
ed from  the  river,  and  generally  from  four  to  six  feet  in 
heio-ht.  There  were  no  windows  to  these  huts,  and  only 
one  door  led  to  the  interior.     The  sharp-pointed,  some- 


HOUSEHOLD  FURNITURE.  187 

what  sugar-loaf  shaped  roofs  were  high,  and  thatched 
with  straw.  Inside  of  these  huts  the  people  cooked  and 
slept.  There  were  no  regular  streets,  the  houses  being 
scattered  all  about,  without  any  order  or  symmetry.  In- 
side, a  bullock-hide,  or  a  mat  upon  sticks  about  two  feet 
fi-om  the  ground,  formed  the  bed.  One  or  two  water- 
jars,  some  cooking-pots,  a  few  wooden  vases,  several  irn- 
mense  calabashes  used  as  dishes  or  for  washing,  and  one 
or  two  low  stools,  constituted  all  the  furniture  to  be  met 
with  in  these  huts.  A  group  of  huts  belonging  to  one 
family  were  surrounded  by  fences  as  a  kind  of  wall. 
This  town  had,  I  should  think,  several  thousand  inhab- 
itants. From  a  distance  it  had  a  very  picturesque  ap- 
pearance, as  you  may  judge  by  the  picture  before  you, 
but,  after  entering  it,  the  charm  disappeared. 

The  situation  of  the  village  was  certainly  very  pictur- 
esque. In  front  there  was  the  sea,  back  of  it  the  Eiver 
Senegal,  and  then  the  white  sand  of  the  desert  on  every 
other  side.  The  people  were  neatly  dressed,  in  queer- 
shaped  garments  made  of  cotton  goods. 

A  few  little  horses,  some  donkeys  and  camels  which 
belonged  to  a  caravan  just  ari-ived,  might  often  be  seen 
wandering  about.  But  judge  of  ray  astonishment  when, 
sauntering  through  this  labyrinth  of  houses,  I  came  to  a 
hut  in  front  of  which  were  three  live  lions  lying  flat  on 
the  ground — three  young  tame  lions.  As  I  approached 
they  looked  at  me,  as  if  to  say, "  Who  is  this  stranger  ?" 
but  there  was  no  anger  in  their  gaze ;  they  were  young, 
though  quite  formidable  to  look  at.  They  were  for  sale. 
I  wondered  why  they  were  not  cliained,  and  found,  on 
looking  more  closely,  that  they  were  tied  with  a  cord  by 
the  neck. 


188  MY  APINQI  GO  UNTR  Y. 

The  people  of  the  village  were  of  the  negro  race,  but 
of  a  far  superior  type  than  the  Congo  negro.  They  be- 
longed to  a  tribe,  if  I  remember  well,  called  Jaloff,  and 
were  certainly  very  fine  negroes.  They  were  not  hea- 
then, but  very  strict  Mohammedans,  for  in  the  days  of 
old  the  followers  of  Mohammed  had  converted  them^ 
They  were  generally  tall,  and  very  black,  and  among 
them  some  could  be  seen  with  straight  noses,  thin  lips, 
and  fine  features.  Most  of  them  could  speak  the  French 
language  as  well  as  their  own,  learned  through  con- 
stant intercourse  with  the  French,  under  whose  sway 
they  lived. 

The  people  of  the  village  were  great  fishermen,  their 
chief  business  being  to  catch  fish.  They  were  very  ex- 
perienced canoemen,  for  the  whole  of  that  coast  is  de- 
fended by  formidable  breakers,  which  dash  against  the 
sandy  shores  of  the  Great  Desert  with  irresistible  force. 
Many  and  many  days  during  the  year  these  natives  find 
it  impossible  to  cross  over  the  breakers  to  go  a  fishing, 
and  often,  after  making  vain  efforts  to  go  through  them, 
have  to  give  up  the  attempt,  after  upsetting  time  after 
time. 

So  I  need  not  tell  you  that  they  are  splendid  swim- 
mers and  canoemen.  ISTevertheless,  accidents  take  place ; 
men  are  drowned  now  and  then,  either  from  sheer  ex- 
haustion from  swimming  when  they  upset  in  the  break- 
ers farthest  from  the  shore,  but  more  generally  from  the 
canoe  striking  them  with  great  force  as  it  turns  over,  or 
by  being  thrown  against  them  by  the  next  angry  wave. 

They  are,  like  most  Mohammedans,  fatalists,  and  be- 
lieve that  Allah  (God)  has  ordered  beforehand  every 
thing  that  is  ever  to  happen  to  them.     The  efforts  of  the 


C02fLVG  TO  MARKET.  189 

missionaries  to  convert  them  have  been  of  very  little 
avail,  as  far  as  I  could  see. 

Of  conrse  nothing  could  grow  in  that  arid  region,  and 
their  food  had  to  be  raised  on  the  islands  higher  up  the 
river,  or  near  the  lagoons,  swamps,  and  marshes  on  the 
right  bank,  where  patches  of  fertile  land  are  found.  The 
chief  food  used  by  this  people  is  made  of  a  kind  of  millet, 
which  they  pound,  and  call  kouskous.  Cattle  are  very 
abundant  in  Senegal,  and  form  the  chief  wealth  of  the 
people  of  the  country. 

I  really  enjoyed  the  sights  in  this  village,  especially  in 
the  morning,  when  the  people  were  coming  to  market. 
St.  Louis,  being  a  large  settlement,  with  a  population  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  thousand  j)eople,  required  a  good  deal 
of  food,  and  the  people  would  come  from  villages  and 
fanns  situated  liigher  up  the  river,  where,  as  I  have  said, 
vegetation  could  be  found,  and  where  many  things  would 
grow;  but  a  good  deal  of  the  produce  came  also  from 
the  left  bank  of  the  river. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  them  come  with  milk  in  large 
leather  bags,  or  bottles  made  of  goat  or  sheep  skins  sew- 
ed carefully  together,  so  there  was  no  leakage;  they 
were  made  just  like  those  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  these 
people  having  made  no  improvement  in  these  utensils 
for  thousands  of  years.  These  bottles  could  hold  some- 
times as  much  as  five  gallons  and  more.  The  women 
carried  them  on  their  heads. 

The  butter  was  soft,  and  was  also  brought  to  market 
in  the  same  manner — in  skins.  It  is  frequently  used  by 
the  natives  to  rub  their  bodies  with. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   SENEGAL   KTVEE. THE  JALOFFS. THE  FEHLAHS. THE 

FULAHS. THE    MASDINGOES. HABITS    OF    THESE    TRIBES. 

THE   MOORS. DESERT  WINDS. RECEPTIONS    IN  JARS. — ' 


HOW    NICE    IT    IS 


I" 


Now  that  I  have  given  you  a  description  of  the  Sene- 
gal village,  I  must  speak  to  you  about  the  country. 

The  Senegal  River  is  one  of  the  most  important  rivers 
of  Africa,  and  the  colony  of  that  name  is  the  largest  and 
most  thrifty  on  the  AVest  Coast.  The  country  belongs 
to  France,  and  the  forts  along  the  banks  of  the  river  ex- 
tend to  a  lono;  distance  into  the  interior.  The  river 
takes  its  rise  in  the  region  of  the  Kong  Moimtaius,  and 
empties  into  the  sea  in  about  16°  north  latitude.  The 
head  or  chief  trading  settlement  is  St.  Louis. 

From  Senegal  comes  a  very  large  quantity  of  gum 
arable,  amounting  to  several  millions  of  pounds  every 
year.  An  immense  trade  in  pea-nuts  is  also  carried  on. 
These  are  taken  to  Marseilles,  where  soap  and  oils  are 
made  from  them.  Gold  is  also  brought  from  the  inte- 
rior ;  and  hides,  wax,  and  ivory  form  also  important  ar- 
ticles of  trade. 

The  people  inhabiting  the  great  Senegal  country  are 
all  warlike.  Among  the  chief  negro  tribes  are  the  Feh- 
lahs,  the  Jaloffs,  the  Fulahs,  and  the  Mandingoes. 

The  Jaloffs  are  an  active,  powerful  race.  They  are 
tall,  very  black,  and  their  noses  are  not  so  flat,  nor  their 


THE  NEGROES  OF  SENEGAL.  19^ 

lips  so  thick  as  those  of  the  true  negro ;  indeed,  some 
have  straight  noses. 

The  Fulahs  are  much  attached  to  a  pastoral  life,  and 
their  hair  is  soft  and  not  very  woolly.  Their  chief  wealth 
consists  in  the  possession  of  cattle,  which  ha^•e  very  long 
horns. 

The  Mandingoes  are  Mohammedan  negroes,  mild,  and 
of  pleasant  disposition.  They  manufacture  a  good  deal 
of  cotton  cloth  with  an  ingenious  loom  of  their  own,  and 
occupy  a  large  tract  of  country. 

In  fact,  these  negroes  of  the  Senegambia  country  are, 
I  think,  far  superior  to  those  found  in  other  parts  of  Af- 
rica, not  only  in  looks,  but  in  intelligencCo 

But  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Kiver  Senegal,  and  in 
the  interior,  live  tribes  of  people  far  more  powerful  than 
the  negroes,  by  whom  they  are  dreaded.  These  are  the 
Moors  of  the  desert,  a  martial,  treacherous,  and  vindictive 
race,  always  at  war  with  their  neighbors. 

As  I  have  said,  a  very  great  part  of  the  gum  arable 
used  in  the  world  comes  from  the  Senegal  River,  and 
the  Moors  possess  all  the  country  from  which  it  comes. 

These  Moors  have  a  very  wild,  staring  look;  their 
treachery  is  notorious,  and  they  regard  the  negro  villages 
that  surround  them  the  same  as  game,  which  they  plun- 
der at  will,  and  the  people  of  which  they  lead  into  cap- 
tivity. These  people  are  nomadic ;  when  the  heat  of  the 
desert  becomes  intense,  and  every  thing  there  is  burned 
up,  they  move  southward  toward  the  negro  country,  and 
stay  thei-e  till  the  rains  have  commenced  in  the  begin- 
ning of  July,  when  they  go  northward  again.  It  is  at 
that  time  that  they  commit  the  most  depredations.  They 
despise  the  negroes,  who  are  very  much  afraid  of  them. 


192  MT  APINOI  KINOD03L 

But  the  negroes  themselves  are  often  at  war  with  each 
other.  In  fact,  war  seems  to  be  the  normal  state  of  Af- 
I'ica  wherever  the  traveler  goes. 

With  the  negroes  and  with  the  Moors,  cattle  are  the 
wealth  of  the  comitry.  The  Moors  possess  great  herds 
of  cattle,  and  a  great  many  horses,  camels,  and  donkeys. 
The  armies  of  these  tribes  of  the  desert  are  composed 
entirely  of  cavalry,  each  tribe  being  able  to  raise  from 
two  to  four  thousand  horsemen. 

There  are  three  forests  in  which  the  gnm  arable  is  pro- 
duced in  great  quantities ;  these  are  called,  if  I  remem- 
ber rightly,  Sahel,  Lebiar,  and  Alfatack.  Besides  these, 
there  are  other  groves  of  gum  arable  trees  in  different 
parts  of  the  desert.  The  three  fii'st-mentioned  forests 
are  claimed  by  three  different  tribes  of  Moors.  The  lan- 
guage of  these  people  is,  of  course,  Arabic,  and  they  are 
named  Trazas,  Aulad  -  el -Hagi,  and  Ebraguana.  Each 
tribe  lias  its  own  chief.  They  are  nomadic,  and  are  con- 
tinually lighting  with  each  other.  Their  features  are 
dark  brown,  but  fine  ;  their  hair  is  black  and  glossy. 

The  gum  arabic  tree  has  a  very  peculiar  growth.  I 
know  you  would  like  to  have  a  descrij)tion  of  it.  It  is 
an  acacia,  not  at  all  beautiful,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
high  when  full  grown  ;  a  few  specimens  attain  a  greater 
height,  but  in  general  it  is  more  like  a  shrub  than  a  tree. 
The  wood  is  white  and  hard.  It  is  very  seldom  that  one 
sees  a  straight  tree,  and  the  trunk  is  covered,  almost  from 
the  ground,  with  crooked  branches  of  different  sizes, 
which  makes  the  tree  not  pretty  to  look  at.  The  leaves 
are  small,  and  under  each  leaf  are  three  crooked  blackish 
thorns.  The  flowers  arc  white  and  small,  and  the  seeds 
are  contained  in  pods. 


THE  GUM  AS  ABIC.  ^93 

The  month  of  March  is  the  time  when  the  harvest  of 
the  gum  arable  takes  place.  You  must  not  think  that 
the  gum  arabic  comes  all  in  small  pieces.  A  good 
deal  of  it  comes  out  of  the  trunk  of  the  tree  in  quite 
large  lumps.  I  have  seen  pieces  twice  as  large  as  an  or- 
ange, and  even  larger,  and,  after  breaking  them  open,  the 
centre  would  be  filled  with  liquid  gum  arabic,  which  was 
most  delicious  to  the  taste.  While  in  the  country  I  ate 
much  of  it,  and  it  was  often  my  chief  food.  It  is  very 
nutritious  and  satisfying  to  the  appetite.  It  is  only  the 
red  gum  arabic  which  is  often  found  in  such  large  pieces. 
Of  course,  as  it  grows  older,  the  liquid  gradually  dries 
up,  though  it  does  not  become  bi'ittle  like  the  white  gum, 
some  forests  of  which  are  also  found  near  the  Senegal 
River.     The  two  gums  are,  however,  entirely  distinct. 

There  are  a  good  many  islands  in  the  River  Senegal, 
some  of  which  are  very  fertile,  and  produce  millet,  In- 
dian corn,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  plantains,  and  bananas. 
At  about  ninety  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Senegal 
Kiver  is  a  flourisliing  trading  station,  where  a  great  quan- 
tity of  gum  is  brought  by  the  Moors. 

The  climate  of  the  Senegal  country  is  any  thing  but 
pleasant,  being  subject  to  sudden  changes.  At  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  the  hot  winds  from  the  desert  make 
it  almost  unbearable.  The  rainy  season  is  short,  and  the 
climate  is  dry  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

How  much  I  suffered  there  from  the  hot  weather !  I 
remember  one  day  a  terrible  hot  wind  from  the  desert 
begun  to  blow.  The  atmosphere  was  terribly  heated, 
and  the  air,  which  seemed  to  come  from  an  oven,  was 
prostrating  to  the  physical  system.  It  l)lew  from  the 
northeast,  over  the  scorching  sands  of  the  Sahara — sands 

I 


IQ^  MY  APIXGI  KINGDOM. 

which  had  been  heated  for  months  without  a  drop  of 
rain  to  cool  them.  The  powerful  rays  of  the  sun  had 
been  pouring  upon  the  white  sand  day  after  day,  week 
after  week,  month  after  month,  till  the  whole  atmosphere 
became  heated,  and  the  whole  country  of  the  desert, 
which  was  once  a  sea  whose  waters  cooled  the  air  of  the 
countries  round  it,  was  apparently  but  a  vast  expanse 
where  heat  sprang  from  the  very  soil. 

I  took  refuge  at  length  in  St.  Louis,  where  the  houses 
are  made  of  stone,  and,  like  other  people,  I  shut  myself 
up  in  the  house,  and  kept  the  windows  and  the  doors 
closed,  so  that  no  hot  air  could  come  in.  In  this  way  the 
houses  are  kept  tolerably  cool.  For  three  days  this  ter- 
rible weather  lasted,  except  that  the  nights  were  some- 
what cooler.  These  hot  winds  from  the  desert  often 
blow  two  or  three  days  at  a  time,  and  sometimes  last  a 
whole  week,  bringing  with  them  disease  and  death  to  the 
white  man. 

When,  perchance,  I  would  come  out  of  the  place  where 
I  had  to  shut  myself  up,  I  felt  the  hot  wind  blowing  in 
my  face,  and  breathed  this  heated  atmosphere  with  a  feel- 
ing that  it  was  gradually  killing  me.  What  must  it  be 
then,  I  thought,  in  the  desert,  far  from  the  sea  and  from 
rivers !  There  life  must  be  sometimes  almost  unbear 
able.  In  certain  seasons  of  the  year  these  hot  vsdnds 
blow  quite  fi-equently,  and  sometimes  only  a  few  hours 
a  day.  Fortunately,  the  people  living  by  the  sea-shore 
do  not  suffer  from  them  as  much  as  the  people  of  the 
interior. 

If  you  had  called  on  me  during  this  hot  weather,  my 
dear  young  folks,  you  would  have  probably  been  aston- 
ished to  see  the  way  I  would  have  received  you,  and  the 


FLEEING  FROM  THE  HEAT.  I95 

queer  manner  in  which  I  held  my  reception,  inviting  my 
guests  to  do  the  same  as  I  did ;  but,  in  order  to  give  you 
an  idea  of  this,  I  must  explain  how  water  is  kept  in  that 
part  of  the  world. 

The  dry  season  in  Senegal  lasts  about  eight  months. 
The  white  people,  during  the  rainy  season,  collect  all  the 
water  they  can,  either  in  cisterns,  or  in  immense  earthen 
jars,  some  of  which  are  so  large  that  a  man  can  go  into 
them  through  the  opening.  These  jars  are  manufac- 
tured in  Marseilles,  and  some  of  them  must  hold  fifty  or 
sixty  gallons,  and  even  more.  The  water  is  kept  in  them 
deliciously  cool.  A  very  fat  man  could  not  get  in  one 
of  these  jars,  as  the  opening  is  small  compared  ^nth  the 
body. 

In  one  of  my  rooms  I  had  several  of  these  jars,  in  some 
of  which  I  kept  a  little  water,  while  in  others  I  kept 
none.  When  the  terrible  hot  weather  came,  it  struck  me 
that  the  coolest  place  I  could  find  was  inside  of  one  of 
these  jars,  as  they  were  very  thick,  and  not  liable  to  be- 
come heated  through.  So  I  made  the  trial,  and  found 
the  experiment  worked  to  a  charm,  and  that  I  had  dis- 
covered a  cool  retreat.  As  soon  as  the  desert  wind  be- 
gan blowing,  I  would  quietly  put  myself  in  one  of  these 
jars,  and  stay  there  for  a  few  hours.  When  my  friends 
were  too  stout  to  follow  my  example,  I  would  apologize 
to  them,  and  give  the  excuse  that  I  had  the  largest  jars 
that  were  made.  Then  my  fat  fi-iend  would  look  cu- 
riously at  me,  and  say, "  I  wish  I  was  as  slender  as  you 
are." 

The  first  time  I  tried  the  jars  I  had  a  great  deal  of 
fun.  Somebody  came  to  see  me,  and  was  sent  into  my 
room  ;  but,  in  the  mean  time,  having  heard  him  coming, 


196 


MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 


I  had  drawn  my  head  inside,  and  so  remained  perfectly 
concealed.  Seeing  nothing  but  jars,  my  ^dsitor  went 
into  the  next  room,  and,  seeing  nobody  there,  he  shout- 
ed, "  Where  are  you  ?"  I  answered  back,  still  keeping 
my  head  below  the  opening,  "  Here  I  am !"  He  came 
back  into  my  room  and  began  to  be  bewildered.  I  could 
stand  it  no  longer,  and,  bursting  out  with  a  loud  laugh, 
showed  my  head  above  the  jar-opening,  and  invited  him 
to  follow  my  example  and  "  take  a  jar." 


I  jfliif  Ijilf  ljill!!;|iil||||j  I  i!||||M  ' 


6TKANQE   BfiOEPTION. 


During  these  hot  spells  the  visitor  would  generally 
come  in,  feeling  quite  prostrated  by  the  dry  heat ;  and, 
after  the  usual  salutation  of  "  How  do  you  do,  sir  ?"  the 
conversation  woidd  generally  take  the  following  turn  : 

"  How  is  the  weather  outside  ?" 

"  Terribly  hot,  sir ;  suffocating ;  the  scorching  wind  is 


COXVERSATIOy  IX  A  JAM.  J^y^ 

almost  unbearable.  The  thermometer  yesterday  and  to- 
day stood  between  one  hundred  and  fifteen  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty." 

"  This  is  terrible,  sir." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  this  is  terrible." 

"  Won't  you  take  off  your  coat,  sir,  and  get  in  ?  I 
think  you  are  not  too  large  to  get  into  one  of  these  big 
jars.  They  are  quite  cool  and  comfortable,  as  the  pot- 
tery is  quite  thick,  and  is  glazed.  There  is  a  stool ;  step 
on  it ;  it  will  make  it  more  easy  for  you.  If  you  are 
afraid  the  jar  will  tumble  down,  I  will  call  somebody  to 
help  you.  Two  jars  have  water  in,  sir.  Two  are  with- 
out.    Take  either  one  you  like  best." 

Then,  if  the  visitor  was  happy  enough  not  to  be  too 
stout,  he  would,  immediately  after  being  bottled  up,  or 
rather,  I  should  say,  jarred  up,  shout,  "  How  nice  it  is ! 
How  cool  and  pleasant !  It  is  perfectly  delightful ! 
Wliat  a  glorious  idea !  It  is  a  good  thing  for  you  to  be 
so  slender !" 

If  the  visitor  was  too  fat  to  enter  the  jars,  his  first 
recognition  of  me  would  be  that  of  wonder.  Then  he 
would  come  and  examine  the  aperture  of  the  jar,  look  at 
his  body,  and  then  give  a  tremendous  sigh,  and  exclaim, 
"  How  unfortunate  it  is  for  a  man  to  be  too  stout  I" 


CHAPTEK  XXVI. 

WAITING    FOR    A    START.  —  THREE   YOUNG    LIONS. 1    PLAY 

WITH    THEM. HOW   THEY   WERE    CAPTURED. TERREBLH 

COMBAT  WITH   THE   LION   AND   THE   LIONESS. THEY  ARE 

BOTH  KILLED. 

Having  but  little  time  to  spare  in  Senegal,  I  wanted 
to  make  tlie  most  of  it  while  there,  and  was  waiting 
anxiously  for  a  caravan  that  should  leave  for  some  part 
of  the  desert,  in  order  to  go  with  it. 

While  waiting  for  the  opportunity,  I  would  sometimes 
amuse  myself  with  the  thi-ee  young  lions  that  were  in 
the  village,  and  had  a  good  deal  of  fun  with  them. 
Each  lion  had  a  name,  which  I  wish  I  could  remember. 
All  I  can  say  is,  that  they  were  real  difficult  names  to 
pronounce,  for  the  language  of  the  peoj^le  is  hard  and 
guttural.  They  were  very  tame,  and  as  playful  as  young 
dogs ;  but,  though  young,  they  were  much  larger  than 
any  dog  I  ever  saw. 

I  would  go  and  play  with  them  every  morning,  and 
sometimes  during  the  day,  but  I  always  liked  to  go  after 
they  had  had  their  meals.  They  knew  exactly  the  time 
these  were  coming,  and,  for  almost  an  hour  before,  they 
were  too  busy  thinking  about  their  breakfast  or  dinner  to 
be  playful.  I  must  say  I  did  not  like  to  venture  near  them 
when  they  were  in  such  a  mood  ;  for,  though  very  tame, 
and  though  they  had  never  bitten  any  bod}^,  yet  they 
might  have  tried  it  on  me  for  the  first  time.     Their  jaws 


THREE  STRAyOE  PL  A  TMA  TES.  199 

were  quite  powerful,  and  I  had  strong  doubts  wlietlier  1 
should  have  come  safely  out  of  them  had  they  once  fast- 
ened on  me. 

They  were  also  armed  with  somewhat  powerful  claws, 
which  certainly  could  have  torn  my  flesh  with  the  great- 
est ease.  I  have  no  doubt  that,  as  soon  as  they  saw  the 
blood  flow,  then-  natural  instinct  would  have  come  back, 
and  they  would  have  pounced  upon  me.  The  sight  of 
warm  blood  from  the  body  would  have  awakened  all 
their  dormant  feeling,  if  hungry.  Even  without  going 
so  far  as  to  fear  that  I  might  become  a  prey  to  their 
young  ferocity,  I  knew  that,  judging  by  the  pain  a  cat 
can  inflict  with  her  shai-p  claws,  that  the  more  powerful 
lions  might  prove  to  be  very  unpleasant  playmates.  At 
any  rate,  although  the  natives  had  assured  me  that  their 
claws  had  been  cut  and  that  there  was  no  danger,  I  had 
no  desire  to  have  them  tried  on  me. 

I  noticed  that  whenever  a  goat  came  in  sight  their 
eyes  would  glare,  and  their  tails  would  wag  angrily,  and 
it  was  very  evident  that  the  goats  would  stand  a  poor 
chance  if  these  young  beasts  of  prey  had  their  own  way. 

After  their  meals  I  would  sometimes  seat  myself 
among  them,  caress  them,  and  scratch  them.  This  they 
seemed  to  enjoy  amazingly,  and  would  look  at  me  with 
their  peculiar  eyes,  which  have  nothing  unkind  or  treach- 
erous in  them  when  they  are  not  hungry  or  angry.  Tlieir 
look  contrasted  strangely  with  that  of  the  treacherous 
tiger  or  leopard. 

I  wanted  to  know  how  these  lions  had  been  captured. 
I  wanted  to  hear  the  story  of  my  three  "  friends,"  how 
they  had  been  deprived  of  their  freedom,  and  how  tliey 
had  lost  tlieir  j9apa  and  mamma.    I  knew  that  thoy  could 


200 


MY  APINQI  KINGDOM. 


PLAYING   WITU   YOTING   LIONS. 


not  have  been  taken  away  easily,  nnless  the  "  old  folks" 
were  out  of  the  way  on  some  excursion  to  get  food  for 
themselves  and  their  young.  At  last  my  curiosity  was 
satisfied,  and  their  story  was  told  me  by  the  side  of  the 
young  lions  themselves.  If  they  could  have  understood 
the  speech,  they  would  have  known  how  they  were  made 
prisoners.  They  certainly  could  not  recollect  the  inci- 
dents which  led  to  their  captivity,  as  they  were  too 
young  at  that  time. 

The  man  who  told  me  the  story  was  an  old  man  with 
a  very  white  beard.  Before  he  began,  several  people 
came  and  seated  themselves  on  the  ground  by  our  side. 
The  old  man  then  began  as  follows  : 

"A  party  of  Moors  were  returning  with  their  herds 
from  the  pastures,  which  the  heat  haddried  up.     Tliey 


THE  LlOXii  AME  AJtOUXU.  201 

were  going  to  the  southern  part  of  the  desert,  where  wa- 
.  ter  was  not  so  scarce,  and  where  the  grass  was  still  fresh 
and  sweet.  The  heads  of  the  party  were  riding  on  cam- 
els. At  length  they  came  to  an  oasis,  chiefly  composed 
of  dates  and  palm-trees.  On  reaching  it  they  found  evi- 
dences that  lions  were  accustomed  to  go  there,  and,  as 
there  was  a  spring  there,  they  concluded  the  beasts  had 
come  to  drink. 

"  That  day,  with  their  large  herd  of  cattle,  they  en- 
camped by  that  oasis.  Their  beasts  could  satisfy  their 
thirst  at  the  spring,  and  eat  of  the  grass  in  the  surround- 
ing country  that  was  not  quite  parched  up. 

"  At  night  the  roar  of  lions  that  were  lurking  round 
told  them  that  they  must  keep  a  strict  watch  over  their 
cattle  and  hoi-ses.  Fires  were  lisfhted  with  branches 
from  the  stunted  trees,  and  throughout  the  night  the 
people  shouted,  and  now  and  then  fired  guns,  to  frighten 
the  lions  away ;  but,  despite  of  all  their  care,  one  cow 
was  carried  off  by  the  king  of  the  desert. 

"  The  next  day  the  party  of  herdsmen  moved  again 
in  a  more  southern  direction ;  but  four  of  the  most  dar- 
ing Moors  resolved  to  remain  behind  and  see  if  they 
could  not  kill  the  lions,  lest  they  might  follow  their  track 
and  destroy  some  of  their  cattle.  These  Moors  belong- 
ed to  the  Trazas  tribe,  and  among  them  was  a  young 
man  who  was  "^ry  ambitious  to  be  enrolled  among  their 
great  warriors.  As  he  had  neither  slain  a  Hon  noi*  an 
enemy  in  battle,  he  could  not  be  so  called,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  tribe. 

"So  the  herd  moved  on,  and  the  rest  of  the  people  with 
tjiem  ;  but  our  four  Trazas  remained  beliind,  and  all  that 
day  were  busy  lookino:  for  traces  of  the  lions.     They  were 

I  2 


2Q2  MY  APINOI  KINODOM. 

armed,  like  till  the  Trazas,  with  double  -  barreled  flint 
guns,  pistols,  and  huge  knives.  After  searching  many 
hours  in  vain,  they  came  to  a  thicket  of  trees,  which  they 
entered  cautiously,  mistrusting  that  lions  might  be  hid- 
den there.  Suddenly  they  saw  three  young  cubs  play- 
ing together,  though  no  old  hons  were  to  be  seen.  No 
doubt  the  old  folks  had  gone  to  visit  the  carcass  of  the 
cow  they  had  killed  the  day  before,  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  food  home  to  their  youngsters. 

"  Looking  carefully  to  their  gnns,  in  order  to  be  ready 
for  any  thing  that  might  happen,  two  of  them  descended 
from  their  camels,  seized  the  young  lions,  and  remount- 
ed with  their  game,  handing  the  third  cub  to  one  of  their 
companions.  They  then  left  with  the  utmost  speed  their 
camels  could  make,  for  their  only  safety  was  to  be  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  lions'  pursuit  when  they  should  come 
back  and  find  their  young  taken  away.  Their  rage 
would  be  terrific,  and  woe  to  the  men  who  had  dared  to 
take  their  young.  Of  course  they  had  guris,  and  would 
try  to  kill  the  lions  if  attacked,  but  it  would  be  a  dan- 
o-erous  business.  So  on  they  went,  now  and  then  look- 
in  o-  behind  to  see  if  the  lions  were  after  them.  Never 
did  their  camels  go  so  fast  before. 

"  They  had  been  gone  about  two  hours,  and  began  to 
think  themselves  safe,  when,  to  their  horror,  looking  back 
on  reaching  an  open  country,  they  saw  the  lion  and  lion- 
ess in  hot  pursuit.  They  urged  their  camels  on  as  fast 
as  they  could,  but  gradually  the  lions  gained  upon  them, 
until  their  roars  of  rage  could  be  distinctly  heard.  Near- 
er and  nearer  the  pursuers  came,  till  at  last  the  Moors 
saw  it  was  of  no  use  to  attempt  to  escape  by  running 
away,  and  that  they  must  prepare  for  a  fight  if  they 


A  TTA  CKED  B  Y  THE  LIONS.  203 

wanted  to  get  clear  with  their  lives.  In  the  mean  time, 
two  of  the  young  cubs  had  been  securely  tied  in  a  kind 
of  basket  or  bag. 

"  They  agreed  that,  as  soon  as  the  lions  should  come 
near  enough,  they  would  throw  off  one  of  the  young  cubs 
to  distract  the  attention  of  the  lioness.  At  the  same 
time  one  of  them  would  fire  at  the  lion,  and,  if  he  was 
not  killed  by  the  shot,  another  would  fire  at  him  again. 
As  they  were  all  good  marksmen,  they  were  very  hope- 
ful to  be  able  to  kill  them. 

"  The  lions  came  roaring  and  bounding  on,  and  one  of 
the  young  ones  was  thrown  down  to  the  lioness,  who  im- 
mediately stopped  to  caress  it,  while  her  mate  continued 
the  chase.  As  he  sprang  forward  in  the  air,  one  of  the 
young  Moors  fired  at  him.  The  bullet  took  effect,  and 
the  huge  beast,  giving  a  tremendous  roar  of  pain,  rolled 
over  in  the  sand,  the  blood  pouring  from  his  wound  in  a 
torrent.  Another  bullet  went  into  his  massive  forehead, 
and,  giving  utterance  to  a  most  appalling  and  terrific 
roar,  he  rolled  over  and  died.  The  lioness  was  then  dis- 
patched by  two  or  three  well-aimed  shots,  and  the  cub 
was  recaptured  without  difficulty. 

"In  this  way,"  added  the  old  man, in  conclusion, "these 
young  lions  were  taken,  and  afterward  sold  to  us  by  the 
Trazas  people.  We  have  brought  them  up  in  our  village, 
and  intend  to  sell  them  after  a  while." 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

DEPARTURE. — A    CARAVAN. APPEARANCE    OF    THE    PEOPLE. 

— RIDING   A   CAJVIEL. — I   AM  CAMEL-SICK. — WELLS   m   THE 
SAND. 

I  WAS  obliged  to  wait  so  long  for  a  caravan  that  I  be- 
gan to  feel  somewhat  fearful  that  I  should  have  to  leave 
the  Senegal  country  without  a  visit  to  the  Great  Desert ; 
but  at  last  the  opportunity  arrived.  An  excursion  was 
arranged  with  which  I  was  to  go,  which  would  at  least 
take  me  to  the  borders  of  the  Sahara.  While  waiting 
for  my  companions  to  get  ready,  I  usually  employed  my 
afternoons  in  walking  along  the  shore  till  I  came  to  a 
spot  where  nothing  was  before  me  but  the  ocean  spark- 
ling in  the  sunlight.  Not  a  soul  was  ever  within  sight. 
Behind  me  lay  an  ocean  of  barren  sand,  so  loose  that  it 
was  most  difRcult  and  fatiguing  to  walk  through  it. 
How  strangely  the  wind  whispered  as  it  blew  from  that 
immense  extent  of  scorching  desert !  The  landscape  was 
gloomy  and  forlorn,  and  had  a  most  depressing  influence 
over  me.  Between  the  sad  murmurs  of  the  wind,  and 
the  solemn  and  monotonous  noise  of  the  waves  as  they 
broke  on  the  shore,  I  could  not  tell  which  was  the  most 
melancholy  sound  to  hear.  But  still  I  loved  to  seat  my- 
self on  the  edge,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  of  the  Great  Des- 
ert, and  have  before  me  the  wide  Atlantic;  for  then 
thoughts  of  home  would  come  over  me,  and  many  mem- 
ories of  the  dear  friends  I  had  left  behind. 


WHY  CAMELS  CAN  UTAND  TUIBST.  207 

At  last,  "when  my  patience  was  almost  exhausted,  the 
preparations  for  our  trip  were  finished,  and  the  day  of 
departure  came.  The  caravan  was  going  somewhere  fai* 
to  the  north,  and  was  to  follow  the  line  of  the  sea-shore ; 
and  it  was  arranged  that  a  certain  number  of  men  were 
to  remain  with  me  whenever  I  chose  to  stay  behind  for 
the  purpose  of  hunting,  for  I  did  not  intend  to  go  with 
them  to  the  end  of  their  journey.  I  only  wanted  to  en- 
joy the  novelty  of  real  desert  life  for  a  little  while. 

The  men  were  mounted  on  a  great  variety  of  animals, 
camels,  horses,  and  donkeys ;  and  when  offered  my  choice, 
I  selected  a  camel,  having  never  ridden  one  in  my  life. 
Every  man  was  armed  with  a  double-barreled  flint-lock 
gun,  and  some  had  pistols  and  swords.  The  party  was 
accompanied  by  a  marabout  (Mohammedan  priest) ;  he 
was  a  strange-looking  old  man,  with  a  white  beard,  and 
seemed  to  be  very  much  venerated  by  the  people. 

"We  had  with  us  all  that  was  necessary  for  a  camp. 
Our  tents  were  made  of  the  coai"se  cotton  cloth  manu- 
factured by  the  people,  and  for  beds  we  had  soft  tanned 
leather  mats.  For  myself,  I  had  bought  a  splendid  rug, 
made  by  the  Moors,  exceedingly  soft,  the  material  of 
which  was  young  calves'  skins. 

One  splendid  morning,  immediately  after  our  Moliam- 
medan  priest  had  recited  his  prayers,  we  set  out,  and  I 
must  say  that  there  was  something  very  picturesque  in 
our  departure.  Tlie  men  all  wore  broad  brimmed  hats 
and  loose  barbaric  costumes;  some  were  mounted  on 
small,  hardy  donkeys,  others  on  horses,  and  a  very  few 
on  camels.  Other  beasts  were  loaded  with  provisions 
and  goods  wliich  were  to  be  taken  to  the  Moors. 

My  camel  was  made  to  kneel  doAvn  hy  his  master  to 


208  ^i  i'  AFiXGi  KIN  on  OM. 

enable  me  to  climb  upon  his  back.  I  was  told  that  he 
was  very  gentle  and  docile.  I  must  have  looked  queer 
enough  with  that  immense  straw  hat  on  my  head,  my 
double-barreled  gun  over  my  shoulder,  my  pistols  hang- 
ing by  my  side,  and  a  huge  hunting-knife,  as  sharp  al- 
most as  a  razor,  the  bright  steel  of  which  shone  splen- 
didly as  the  rays  of  the  sun  struck  upon  it. 

A  camel-saddle  is  a  queer-looking  affair,  and  as  for 
the  riding,  I  must  say  I  did  not  like  the  camel's  jolting 
gait  very  much. 

Our  road  lay  along  the  barren  and  shadeless  sea-shore, 
and  gradually  the  sun  reminded  me  that  the"  day  was  ad- 
vancing, and  that  it  was  getting  hot.  The  glare  on  the 
white  sand  and  the  reflection  from  the  sea  were  very 
painful  to  the  eyes,  and  I  did  not  wonder  that  ophthalmy 
was  so  prevalent  among  the  people  there.  It  became 
positively  unbearable  as  the  day  wore  on,  in  despite  of 
my  big  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  at  length  I  put  over  my 
face  a  very  thick  green  veil  with  which  I  liad  happily 
provided  myself,  and  for  which  I  was  very  thankful. 
After  riding  some  time  I  began  to  feel  a  queer  sensation 
in  my  stomach.  The  long,  swinging  strides  of  my  camel, 
to  which,  of  course,  I  was  not  accustomed,  did  not  seem 
to  agree  with  me,  and  I  was  beginning  to  feel  symptoms 
of  sea-sickness.  "  What,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  sea-sick  on 
the  back  of  a  camel  ?"  There  was  no  mistake  about  it. 
It  was  a  kind  of  camel-sickness.  The  men  had  a  good 
laugh  at  me ;  but  I  tried  to  fight  it  down,  and  after  a 
while  succeeded,  just  as  I  was  on  the  point  of  giving  up 
friend  camel  and  betaking  myself  to  the  back  of  a  high- 
spirited  donkey,  on  which  I  had  fixed  my  eyes  before  we 
started.     He  was  a  beauty  of  his  kind ;  but  I  was  told 


DJGGIXO  WELLS  IN  TEE  SAXD.  209 

that  he  was  a  very  obstinate  creature  when  he  took  it 
into  his  head  to  be  so.  After  all,  I  did  not  find  that  my 
camel  was  such  a  gentle  and  docile  animal  as  I  had  been 
told.     I  thought  it  was  pretty  obstinate. 

By  noon  the  air  became  very  hot,  and  the  sand  was  so 
scorching  that  it  would  have  been  no  fun  to  walk  throusrh 
it  barefooted.  We  were  going  very  slowly,  and  toward 
four  o'clock  we  thought  we  would  pitch  our  tents  and 
encamp  for  the  night.  A  spot  by  the  sea-shore  was 
chosen  for  a  site,  and  then  the  people  began  to  busy 
themselves  in  digging  holes  in  the  sand  about  high- water 
mark.  I  did  not  know  at  first  what  they  were  doing 
this  for,  but  soon  discovered  that  they  were  digging- 
wells.  These  were  six  or  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and,  as 
the  sand  was  very  loose,  the  workmen  were  constantly 
hindered  by  the  caving  in  of  the  sides ;  but,  in  spite  of 
this  drawback,  the  wells  in  a  short  time  were  completed 
to  a  depth  of  about  six  feet,  when  water  began  to  show 
itself,  as  they  had  dug  below  the  level  of  the  sea.  In 
two  wells  the  water  was  brackish,  while  in  two  others  it 
tasted  quite  fresh  and  sweet.  We  kept  one  for  ourselves, 
and  made  the  approach  to  the  other  accessible  for  our 
beasts.  The  poor  creatures,  suffering  from  thirst,  came 
and  drank  so  greedily  that  twice  they  had  to  be  driven 
back  to  let  the  water  come  in  again,  they  having  com- 
pletely emptied  the  well. 

These  rude  wells  are  very  useful,  and,  if  properly  pro- 
tected by  iron  tubes,  would  be  of  immense  benefit.  This 
manner  of  digging  wells  is  the  usual  method  of  getting 
water  by  the  sea-shore. 

Mohammedans  are  always  very  devout,  and  a  little  be- 
fore sunset  all  the  people  became  quiet,  and  listened  rev- 


210  MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 

erently  while  the  marabout  prayed  aloud.  Afterward 
they  seated  themselves  cross-legged  on  the  sand,  with 
their  faces  turned  toward  the  setting  sun,  saying  their 
evening  prayer  to  Allah,  whose  sole  prophet  they  be- 
lieved to  be  Mohammed.  Then  the  camels  and  otlier 
animals,  so  tethered  as  to  prevent  their  straying  far  from 
camp,  were  tm-ned  loose  to  graze  on  the  scanty  lierbage 
that  grew  here  and  there  along*  the  shore.  The  evening 
meal  was  eaten  with  good  appetite,  and  after  this  im- 
portant duty  was  dispatched  I  took  a  solitary  stroll  along 
the  beach  to  watch  the  camels  feeding.  As  I  observed 
these  faithful,  patient,  and  docile  creatures,  I  could  not 
help  thinking  how  bountiful  and  wonderful  is  Nature  in 
providing  for  man's  wants  in  the  different  countries  of 
the  world.  Every  where  animals  are  found  adapted  for 
the  mode  of  life  required  according  to  the  formation  and 
climate  of  the  country.  In  desert  and  arid  lands,  where 
food  is  scarce,  and  even  water  is  far  from  being  abun- 
dant, the  camel  is  found,  and  proves  to  be  the  best  friend 
of  man.  Not  only  can  this  animal  go  several  days  with- 
out drinking  as  it  crosses  the  great  Sahara,  but  the  milk 
of  the  female  camel  furnishes  her  master  with  drink. 
Many  a  wanderer's  life  has  been  saved  in  that  manner. 
As  for  food,  the  camel  will  be  satisfied  with  the  parched 
grass,  the  scraggy  vines,  or  the  dry  branches  of  the  stunt- 
ed trees  found  in  the  desert,  or  a  few  handfuls  of  grain 
or  dry  dates.  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  natives  love  their 
camels,  for  what  would  they  do  in  that  desert  country 
without  them  ? 

How  is  it  that  the  camel,  unlike  other  animals,  can  go 
so  long  a  time  without  drinking  water  ?  I  will  tell  you. 
In  its  stomach  are  a  great  number  of  deep  cells  into 


ffOW  THE  CAMEL  KEEPS  WATER.  ^\\ 

which  the  water  passes  Avhen  the  camel  drinks,  and  is 
then  prevented  from  escaping  by  a  mnscle  which  closes 
tlie  mouth  of  the  cells.  When  the  camel  feels  thirsty, 
it  has  the  power  of  using  some  of  this  reserved  store 
of  water.  The  natives  say  that  when  a  camel  has  been 
accustomed  to  a  certain  route,  he  knows  exactly  how 
long  to  keep  tliis  supply  of  water  to  make  it  last  from 
one  well  or  spring  to  another.  Hence  there  is  some- 
times danger  of  a  camel's  suffering  from  thirst,  and 
even  dying,  if  a  long  journey  is  to  be  performed  oyer  a 
route  with  which  he  is  unacquainted.  The  camel's  feet 
are  broad,  and  so  constructed  that  they  present  a  broad 
surface  to  the  desert  sands,  to  prevent  liis  sinking  into  it 
too  deeply.  Their  knees  are  hard  and  horny,  from  the 
habit  of  kneeling  down  to  be  loaded  and  unloaded. 

The  Moors  come  frequently  down  to  the  banks  of  the 
Senegal  Eiver  with  an  imposing  array  of  camels,  loaded 
with  gum  arable.  The  sight  of  one  of  these  caravans  is 
curious  and  picturesque,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  illustra- 
tion on  another  page. 


llk^^m 

''**<'=8:i  *=VM^-/h..^-    ;iS***^ 
^m^B     1?^     l^>^y<^ 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

PART   WITH    THE    CARAVAN. A   NEW   CAMP. — DISCOVER   OS- 
TRICH   TRACKS. AN    OSTRICh's    NEST. AN    OI^IELETTE. — 

CHASING  OSTRICHES  ON  HORSEBACK. — I  AM  UNSUCCESSFUL. 
— LARGE   NUMBER   OF   SEA-SHELLS   IN   THE   DESERT. 

When  I  came  out  of  my  tent  early  the  next  morning, 
I  saw  the  Mohammedans  scattered  all  over  the  sand 
round  our  encampment,  with  their  faces  turned  toward 
the  rising  sun,  saying  their  morning  prayers  before  the 
start.  Then  the  camels  and  asses  were  milked,  they  were 
fed  with  grain,  and  then  led  to  the  wells  to  drink.  Break- 
fast over,  then  we  started  on  our  way  again.  That  day 
I  was  to  be  left  by  the  caravan,  for  they  did  not  wish  to 
take  me  farther,  on  account  of  the  unsafe  condition  of 
the  country  northward.  The  plundering  Moors  were 
roving  about  in  strong  bands,  and  frequently  attacked 
caravans  after  dark. 

I  was  overjoyed  to  find  evidences  that  ostriches  had 
been  in  the  region  through  which  we  passed.  This  as- 
sured me  that  there  was  to  be  good  sport  in  the  Sahara, 
and  not  far  from  the  sea. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  I  took  leave  of  the  caravan. 
Several  donkeys  and  a  fleet  horse  were  left  for  my  use. 
After  many  a  good-by  we  parted,  and  I  remained  with 
a  few  splendid  Jaloffs  for  companions.  We  built  our 
camp  near  a  scrubby  grove,  and  dug  a  well,  finding  pret- 
ty good  water  at  a  depth  of  six  feet.     During  the  night 


OSTRICHES  ARE  AROUXD.  213 

we  kept  a  very  careful  watcli  lest  the  plunderers  of  the 
desert  should  surprise  us.  The  Moors  might  capture  and 
make  me  a  slave — I,  who  love  to  be  free !  What  should 
I  do  if  I  was  to  lose  iryj^  freedom  ?  I  shudder  at  the 
thought !  I  would  rather  die,  I  said  to  myself,  than  suf- 
fer such  a  terrible  fate ;  and  then  the  story  of  the  poor 
wretched  men  who  had  been  taken  captives  on  the  coast, 
which  I  have  told  you  in  a  former  chapter,  came  into 
my  mind.  You  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  I 
slept  but  little  that  night.  Fortunately,  nothing  happen- 
ed to  disturb  us. 

In  the  morning,  after  a  hearty  breakfast,  I  began 
hunting  on  the  country  back  of  the  spot  where  we  had 
encamped.  I  had  to  be  very  careful,  and  keep  a  sharp 
lookout,  as  sometimes  lions  were  found  in  these  regions. 
I  was  after  ostriches,  and  had  not  gone  far  from  our  camp 
with  my  four  companions,  when  we  discovered  fresh 
tracks,  which  must  have  Ipeen  made  by  these  singular 
bii-ds  but  a  short  time  before.  Among  the  scanty  shrubs 
thereabout  were  sojne  creeping  vines,  which  bore  a  kind 
of  fruit  upon  which  the  ostriches  had  been  feeding.  I 
was  on  the  alert,  but  the  ground  was  flat,  and  there  was 
little  probability  of  my  getting  near  the  birds,  as  they 
could  see  me,  and  run  away.  Their  swiftness  is  almost 
incredible,  for  they  have  most  extraordinary  muscular 
power  in  their  legs,  and,  though  they  can  not  soar  into 
the  air,  their  wings  assist  them  wonderfully  in  their  flight. 

I  could  not  understand  at  flrst  how  these  ostriches 
had  strayed  into  this  region,  and  finally  concluded  tliat 
they  must  have  been  driven  from  the  north  by  hunters, 
and  had  taken  refuge  here.  But  there  was  no  mistake 
about  it ;  my  guide  said  the  footprints  were  really  made 


214  -^i^  APINGI  EINOD  OM. 

bj  ostriches.  I  therefore  continued  my  chase  till  I  came 
unawares  upon  an  ostrich  nest,  which  was  a  piece  of 
very  good  fortune  for  me.  It  was  not  built  of  straw 
nor  dead  branches,  but  was  singly  a  hole  scooped  out  in 
the  sand  by  the  mother  bird.  I  was  glad  to  observe  that 
there  were  five  in  the  nest,  which,  if  they  were  fresh, 
would  make  a  fine  omelette.  Satisfied  with  our  good 
luck,  and  considerably  tired  with  the  long  tramp  over 
the  sandy  plain,  we  concluded  to  return  to  camp  with 
our  five  eggs.     They  were  quite  a  nice  little  load. 

Our  camp  was  somewhat  sheltered  from  the  fresh  sea- 
breeze  by  a  little  sand-hillock  heaped  together  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  wind.  The  broad  Atlantic  w^as  before  us, 
and  the  waves  came  dashing  heavily  on  the  beach.  In 
the  evening  the  sky  was  clear,  and  the  stars  shone  out 
most  beautifully.  "We  had  no  matting,  our  bed  being 
nothing  but  the  wjiite  desert  sand,  and  a  very  nice  and 
comfortable  bed  it  made,  I  can  assure  you. 

When  we  were  comfortably  settled,  I  said  to  Mokar 
Sidi, "  Bring  us  the  frying-pan.  I  must  have  an  ome- 
lette made  of  an  ostrich  egg.''''  But  what  a  big  omelette 
it  was  going  to  be,  for  the  capacity  of  an  ostrich  egg  is 
about  thirty  times  that  of  a  hen's  egg.  I  wondered  if 
the  omelette  would  be  good.  One  thing  was  certain,  the 
egg  was  newly  laid.  We  had  vdth  us  a  large  quantity 
of  butter,  which  was  carefully  kept  in  a  leather  bag.  I 
had  ray  frying-pan — a  large  tin  plate  —  and  was  ready 
to  begin. 

The  shell  of  the  ostrich  egg  was  rather  thick,  and  it 
required  two  or  three  good  blows  with  my  hunting-knife 
to  break  it.  The  contents  of  the  egg  half  filled  quite  a 
large  dish.     I  beat  it  with  my  fork  for  a  long  time,  till 


MAKIXG  AX  OMELETTE.  215 

the  yello-\r  and  the  white  were  thoroughly  mixed.  Then 
I  put  the  pan  on  the  bright  fire  we  had  built  with  pieces 
of  wood  collected  from  the  shrubs  around  our  camp,  I 
melted  about  a  pound  of  butter,  and,  while  it  was  very 
hot,  mixed  the  egg  and  the  butter  thoroughly  with  a 
spoon.  With  the  addition  of  salt  and  pepper,  the  ome- 
lette was  soon  ready,  and  such  an  omelette  as  it  was !  It 
would  have  done  you  good  to  see  it.  I  am  sure  it  would 
have  given  you  a  keen  appetite.  It  looked  and  tasted 
very  much  like  an  ordinary  omelette.  It  was  somewhat 
coarser  in  flavor,  but  nourishing ;  and,  as  it  was  the  first 
time  in  my  life  I  tasted  of  an  ostrich-egg  omelette,  I  rel 
ished  it  very  much.  Most  of  my  fellows  made  their  sup- 
per on  couscous,  a  kind  of  millet,  but  some  of  them  had 
a  dish  of  pounded  grasshoppers.  Among  the  children 
of  the  desert  this  is  considered  a  great  dainty,  and  I  was 
told  the  Moore  are  also  very  fond  of  it. 

As  I  wished  to  carry  home  the  rest  of  the  eggs,  I 
made  a  hole  in  one  end  of  each,  through  which  I  emptied 
the  contents.  The  natives  sometimes  use  these  egg-shells 
to  hold  water,  or  cut  them  up  into  spoons,  dishes,  cups, 
and  other  articles  of  household  convenience.  One  of 
these  eggs  will  hold  about  three  pints. 

The  following  day,  before  sunrise,  while  walking  near 
the  camp,  I  spied  two  ostriches  in  the  distance,  too  far 
off  to  be  conscious  of  my  presence.  I  went  back  into 
my  tent  as  quickly  as  I  could,  and  saddled  and  mounted 
my  horse,  and  started  quietly  in  pursuit,  taking  every  ad- 
vantage of  the  ground  as  I  advanced,  in  order  not  to  be 
seen  by  the  game. 

I  felt  somewhat  anxious  about  my  riding  qualities,  for 
I  knew  I  was  not  at  all  a  good  horseman,  but  I  had  the 


216 


M7  APING  I  KINGDOM. 


consolation  of  knowing  that  if  I  fell  off  it  would  be 
upon  the  soft  sand,  for  there  were  no  rocks  on  whi(;h  I 
should  break  my  head.  After  this  reflection,  I  started 
on  a  tremendous  gallop  after  tlie  ostriches.  My  little 
horse  went  on  splendidly,  and  we  gained  rapidly  on 
them.  There  was  a  fair  prospect,  I  thought,  for  me  to 
bag  one,  when,  just  as  I  was  ready  to  cock  my  gun, 
down  I  fell  at  full  length  on  the  sand  !     My  gun  pitch- 


AN  OBTKIOH  HTTNT. 


ed  a  long  way  ahead  of  me,  and  my  mouth  was  filled  up 
with  sand.  I  gathered  myself  up,  and,  finding  that  there 
were  no  bones  broken,  picked  up  my  gun  and  started  in 
pursuit  of  my  horse.  He  was  a  gentle  and  well-trained 
animal,  and  suffered  himself  to  be  caught  without  difii- 
culty. 

The  game,  by  that  time,  were  far  away,  and  I  return- 


HE  A- SHELLS  IN  THE  DESERT.  217 

ed  to  the  camp,  promising  myself  not  to  go  after  ostrich- 
es on  horseback  again,  or,  at  any  rate,  not  before  I  had 
a  little  more  practice  in  riding. 

The  ostrich  does  not  run  so  fast  as  people  generally 
suppose ;  at  least  they  can  not  run  a  long  distance,  and  a 
horse  can  easily  overtake  them,  in  spite  of  their  legs  and 
wings.  The  natives  say  they  can  kick  tremendously, 
and  that  dogs  are  often  killed  in  that  way,  as  the  power- 
ful sharp  claw  with  which  the  foot  is  armed  can  make 
fearful  wounds. 

The  male  is  a  splendid  bird ;  the  lower  part  of  the 
neck  and  the  body  is  of  a  beautiful  shiny  black,  and  the 
plumes  of  the  wing  and  tail  are  white.  The  female  is 
of  a  grayish-brown  color,  sprinkled  with  white,  and  her 
tail  and  wing-plumes  are  clear  white.  The  male  pos- 
sesses the  finest  feathers.  They  are  from  six  to  eight 
feet  in  height,  and  the  body  weighs  probably  from  two 
to  three  hundred  pounds. 

I  returned  to  camp  somewhat  crestfallen  in  regard  to 
riding.  The  least  agreeable  part  of  all  had  been  that  I 
got  my  mouth  full  of  sand,  and  could  not  get  rid  of  it 
till  I  came  back  to  the  camp,  where  I  could  rinse  it  out 
with  water. 

I  was  surprised  at  the  number  of  sea-shells  scattered 
aboiit  in  the  sands  of  the  desert,  showing  conclusively  to 
my  mind  that  once  this  barren  and  scorching  expanse 
had  been  covered  by  a  sea.  As  the  level  of  the  desert  is 
not  much  above  that  of  the  ocean,  I  feel  certain  that  if 
wells  were  dug  all  over  the  desert,  and  protected  with  iron 
tubes  to  prevent  the  sands  from  falling  in,  water  could 
be  easily  supplied  to  caravans  and  bands  of  ti-avelers  in 
their  joui-neys  across  that  terrible  expanse  of  terntory. 

K 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A  SAND-STOEM  PREDICTED. — THE  WIND  FROM  THE  NORTH- 
EAST.  THE  STORM. AFTER  OSTRICHES. TWO  ARE  KILL- 
ED,— RETURN   TO    CAIVIP. ROAST  OSTRICH  FOR   SUPPER. 

RETURN  TO  THE  SETTLEMENT. 

On  my  return  to  the  camp  the  men  said  we  were 
going  to  have  a  storm  from  the  desert.  Tliey  coidd  tell 
it  was  coming,  and  they  hoped  it  would  not  last  long,  for 
these  storms  are  xevj  unpleasant.  Tliey  did  not  mean  a 
storm  of  rain,  but  that  a  strong  wind  would  blow  from 
the  east  or  northeast,  and,  in  passing  over  the  Great  Des- 
ert, would  raise  clouds  and  columns  of  sand,  so  that  the 
atmosphere  would  be  thick  with  it,  as  if  a  fog  had  spread 
itself  over  the  country. 

I  may  say  I  was  glad  to  hear  this.  Like  you,  my  dear 
young  folks,  I  had  heard  before  of  these  sand-storms, 
and  that  the  sand  would  even  be  carried  far  away  out  to 
sea  and  fall  on  the  decks  of  ships.  I  wanted  to  see  one 
of  these  awful  storms,  which  are  said  to  be  so  violent  in 
the  Great  Desert  that  men,  and  sometimes  caravans,  are 
buried  alive  beneath  the  immense  masses  of  sand. 

The  men  were  not  mistaken.  The  wind,  which  had 
been  blowing  lightly  in  an  east-northeast  direction,  began 
to  increase  gradually,  till  at  last  it  blew  a  perfect  gale. 
The  sand  began  to  fly,  and  the  storm  increased  still  more. 
The  air  soon  became  murky  with  sand,  which  flew  to- 


IT  BLOWS  MAJW. 


210 


BA.\l;-ljlOKM    IN    TUE   DEhLllT. 


ward  the  sea  like  a  thick  fog.  It  was  a  grand  and  splen- 
did sight.  The  liglit  of  the  day  had  become  quite  dim, 
because  the  sun's  rays  could  hardly  pierce  the  clouds  of 
sand.  It  continued  blowing  for  several  hours.  The  wind 
was  liot ;  my  lips  became  parched  and  my  eyes  sore,  as, 
in  spite  of  my  thick  veil,  the  sand  penetrated  every  where. 
Now  that  I  had  seen  a  genuine  sand-storm,  I  hoped  that 
the  wind  would  moderate.  Little  liillocks  and  mounds 
were  formed  here  and  there,  and  om-  wells  were  filled  u[) 
with  tlie  drifting  sand. 

The  sand  got  into  my  clothes  through  e\ery  0})ening 
in  them.  It  filled  my  hair,  my  nose,  my  ears,  and  even 
my  mouth.  It  covered  every  tiling  in  our  camp,  and 
completely  spoiled  our  food.  But  we  had  to  eat  it  as  it 
was,  as  there  was  no  choice. 


220  -^^  ^  APn'GI  KIXGB  031 

Toward  evening  the  wind  gradually  calmed  down,  and 
by  the  time  the  sun  had  set  below  the  horizon  nature  be- 
came quiet  again.  The  sand-storm  of  the  desert  was 
over,  and  I  was  glad  I  had  seen  it. 

The  next  morning  I  again  prepared  myself  to  hunt 
the  ostrich.  Some  of  them  had  been  seen  the  day  be- 
fore by  some  of  the  men  who  had  wandered  off  a  little 
way  into  the  desert.  It  was  but  seldom  that  ostriches 
were  seen  where  we  were,  and  I  wished  to  take  advant- 
age of  the  opportunity,  the  more  so  that  I  should  have 
to  turn  back  very  soon  and  leave  the  Senegal  region  for 
the  Gulf  of  Guinea. 

But  first  we  moved  our  camp  a  few  miles  northward 
from  where  we  were,  because  better  wells  of  water  could 
be  got  in  that  locality.  As  soon  as  our  tents  were  j^itched 
again,  I  started  once  more  on  an  ostrich  hunt,  taking  two 
guides  with  me. 

Our  course  lay  through  the  desert  near  the  sea-shore. 
It  was  exceedingly  tiresome  walking,  for  at  every  step 
we  made  our  feet  would  go  deep  into  the  sand,  and  the 
heat  was  intense.  We  had  to  take  every  advantage  of 
the  ground  in  order  to  hide  ourselves  from  sight,  for  the 
ostriches,  as  you  know,  were  very  shy,  and,  though  I  had 
been  more  than  three  hours  on  the  way,  and  was  assured 
by  my  two  guides  that  I  should  see  some,  I  was  yet  to 
discover  the  first  one.  I  did  not  expect  to  see  their 
tracks,  as  the  storm  of  the  day  before  had  obliterated 
every  trace  of  them. 

Yet  I  had  good  reason  to  look  for  fine  sport,  for  this 
was  the  time — just  at  the  close  of  May,  and  befora  the 
setting  in  of  the  rainy  season — wlien  the  ostriches  are 
accustomed  to  visit  the  sea-shore  in  great  numbers.    The 


GOIXQ  AFTER  OSTEICHES.  221 

natives  say  they  wade  into  the  sea  during  the  heat  of  the 
day,  and  splash  round  in  the  water  at  a  great  rate.  This, 
as  you  may  suppose,  is  the  best  time  of  the  year  to  shoot 
tliem. 

All  at  once,  as  I  reached  the  top  of  a  sand-down  or 
hill,  I  looked  carefully  over  the  crest  to  see  if  I  could 
discern  any  signs  of  game,  and,  to  my  great  delight,!  saw 
several  ostriches  near  the  sea-shore,  and  not  far  from 
where  I  was  posted.  I  instantly  stopped,  and  stood  still 
for  an  instant  to  observe  them.  I  had  never  seen  them 
in  their  wild  state  till  the  day  previous,  and  was  very 
much  interested  in  watching  their  movements  as  they 
were  strutting  about  on  tlie  shore. 

After  satisfying  my  curiosity,  1  crept  toward  them 
with  all  the  caution  I  could  use.  Tliey  were  unaware 
of  my  presence,  and  seemed  to  be  perfectly  unconcerned 
about  every  thing  around  them  ;  but,  kno^ving  how  keen 
their  scent  was,  I  advanced  cautiously  and  slowly,  reserv- 
ing my  fire  until  I  came  witliin  very  short  range.  If 
you  had  been  with  me  you  would  have  become,  I  am 
sure,  quite  as  much  excited  as  I  was,  and  you  would  have 
enjoyed  the  chase. 

At  last  I  came  to  a  gap  between  two  sand-hills,  which 
put  me  in  great  anxiety,  as  there  was  danger  of  my  being 
discovered  by  the  ostriches  in  crossing,  and  if  I  should 
be,  good-by  to  my  hopes!  The  gap  was  about  forty 
yards  wide,  and  I  must  cross  it  in  tlie  quickest  and  most 
sly  manner.  So,  protected  beliind  a  little  hillock  of* 
sand,  I  watched  carefully  for  a  chance  to  scud  across. 
My  eyes  were  riveted  on  the  ostriches,  and  I  waited  for  a 
time  till  they  should  all  look  toward  the  sea  or  go  into  the 
surf,  so  that  I  could  shift  my  position  without  being  seen, 


222 


MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 


AFTEK   OSTRICHES. 


and  gain  a  hillock  that  stood"  within  easy  range  of  my 
beautiful  game.  At  last  a  good  chance  came ;  they  all 
clustered  tos-ether  and  turned  their  backs  toward  me, 
looking  in  the  opposite  direction.  I  seized  the  opportu- 
nity, and  crossed  over  the  open  space  in  a  jiffy,  never  let- 
ting my  eyes  lose  sight  of  the  ostriches,  so  that  if  they 
had  suddenly  looked  back  I  should  have  thrown  myself 
flat  in  the  sand  and  lain  as  still  as  a  log  or  a  stone. 
Using  all  this  caution,  I  crossed  in  safety,  and,  on  reach- 
ins:  the  other  shelter,  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  I 
'  was  within  range  of  the  ostriches  at  last,  and  sure  of  my 


game. 


I  rested  several  seconds  in  order  to  get  breath  to  calm 
ray  nerves,  so  that  I  might  take  good  aim  and  make  a 
dead  shot.     Then  I  slowly  raised  my  gun,  took  a  steady 


SAIL  FOR  THE  GULF  OF  GUINEA.  223 

aim  at  the  male,  who  led  the  Hock,  and  pulled  the  trig- 
ger. Baiio; !  down  came  the  male  ostrich.  Bans'  ao-aiu  ' 
and  down  came  another.  The  three  others  that  remain- 
ed alive  fled  with  very  great  swiftness.  This  was  great 
sport.  I  had  been  entirely  successful.  I  gave  a  wild 
shout  of  joy,  and  my  two  friends,  who  had  remained  be- 
hind, and  were  watching  my  movements,  ran  toward  me 
as  fast  as  they  could.  I  sent  one  of  them  back  to  the 
camp  to  fetch  the  other  men  to  assist  in  carr^-ing  the 
game.  The  beautiful  feathers  were  pulled  out,  the  os- 
triches were  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  then,  singing- 
songs  of  triumph,  we  returned  to  camp.  That  evening 
we  had  a  splendid  supper  of  roast  ostrich. 

The  next  day  I  thought  it  was  time  to  go  back,  for 
the  vessel  was  soon  to  be  ready  to  sail,  and  I  must  reluc- 
tantly say  good-by  to  the  Great  Desert.  So  we  raised 
our  camp,  loaded  our  donkeys,  and  departed  on  our  home- 
ward way.  It  was  with  a  feeling  of  sorrow  that  I  said 
good-by  to  these  desert  and  sandy  shores,  where  I  had 
really  enjoyed  myself,  and  learned  something  that  I  did 
not  know  before. 

A  few  davs  after  mv  return  to  the  settlement  of  St. 
Louis  we  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  for  the  Gulf  of 
Guinea. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  PLEASANT  VOYAGE. IN   SIGHT  OF  THE  CAMEKOONS. THE 

ISLAND    OF    FERNANDO    PO. SHARKS.— THE   PILOT-FISH. 

WHAT  THEY  DO. HOOKING  OF  A  BIG  SHARK. ITS  STRUG- 
GLES.  ITS    DEATH. 

For  a  few  days  after  getting  under  way  we  had  a 
light  breeze,  and  then  sailed  into  the  region  of  calms, 
where  vessels  are  sometimes  detained  for  weeks  for  want 
of  wind  enough  to  till  their  canvas.  We  were  not  so 
unfortunate,  however,  and  thirty-eight  days  after  our  de- 
parture from  Senegal  our  ship  was  plowing  through  the 
water  finely.  We  had  a  nice  breeze,  all  our  sails  were 
set,  and  the  studding-sails  w^ere  out.  As  I  looked  back 
one  morning,  I  could  see  our  wake  for  a  long  distance. 
The  sun  had  risen  half  an  hour  before,  and  the  deck  had 
just  been  washed.  I  was  enjoying  the  coolness  of  a 
morning  at  sea  under  the  tropics.  The  captain  was 
smoking  a  pipe  as  hard  as  he  could.  I  could  see  that  he 
was  nervous  and  excited.  The  fact  was  that  he  had  been 
expecting  to  see  the  land  at  sum'ise,  and  had  been  disap- 
pointed. He  concluded  that  the  strong  currents  had 
thrown  us  northward. 

One  man  had  been  sent  to  the  top  of  the  mainmast  to 
watch  for  the  land,  for  of  course  he  could  see  it  from 
such  a  height  long  before  those  w^ho  were  on  deck. 

The  captain  and  I  were  talking  of  the  strength  of  the 


LOOKING  FOR  TEE  LAND.  225 

currents,  and  wondering  how  far  we  might  be  out  of  our 
course,  when  suddenly  the  cry  of  "  Land  ahead !  land 
ahead !"  came  down  to  us  from  the  man  on  the  watch  at 
the  top  of  the  mainmast.  Innnediately  the  captain  and  I 
took  our  spy -glasses  and  ascended  the  rigging,  though  I 
was  satisfied  not  to  go  as  high  as  the  captain.  The  fact 
was  that  I  did  not  care  to  go  higher  up,  not  being  mucli 
of  a  sailor,  and  not  knowing  how  I  should  like  it  up 
there,  or  how  I  should  keep  my  footing.  I  had  no  idea 
of  trvino;,  for  I  knew  that  if  I  did  not  succeed  I  should 
have  a  terrible  fall.  AVhile  I  was  thinking  of  these 
things,  the  captain  looked  down  and  said  to  me, "  Do  not 
go  up  higher."  I  was  only  too  ready  to  obey.  After 
looking  a  while  through  my  glass,  I  shouted  to  him, 
" Landahead !  Land  ahead  1"  The  captain  said, "  Where «" 
I  pointed  toward  the  land,  and  said, "  Don't  you  see  it 
there?"  I  could  not  be  mistaken.  What  I  saw  could 
not  be  a  cloud,  though  it  looked  very  much  like  one,  so 
faint  and  very  far  away.  All  I  could  see  above  the  sea 
was  an  indistinct  bluish  mass,  having  the  appearance  of 
a  cloud  or  bank  of  mist ;  but  tliere  was  a  hazy  atmos- 
phere about  it  which  looked  very  much  as  if  it  were 
land.  As  we  came  near  it  became  more  substantial, 
and  at  last  the  blue  outlines  of  the  great  peak  of  Came- 
roons  were  seen.  Wliat  a  grand  sight  it  presented !  ap- 
parently rising  like  an  island  from  the  sea,  for  the  coun- 
try that  surrounds  it  is  low  and  marshy,  and  the  peak, 
which  rises  to  a  height  of  tliirteen  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea,  is  visible  for  several  hours  before  the  low  lands 
above  which  it  towers  come  into  sight. 

I  wondered  if  this  Peak  of  Cameroons  was  the  same 
land  whicli  Ilanno,  the  great  Cartliaginian  admiral,  men- 

K  2 


226  ^^Y  APING  I  KINGDOM.  " 

tions  in  the  Periplus,  where  he  savs :  "  We  discovered,  at 
night,  a  country  f idl  of  fire.  In  the  middle  was  a  lofty 
fire,  larger  than  all  the  rest,  which  seemed  to  touch  the 
stars.  When  day  came  we  discovered  it  to  be  a  large 
hill,  called  Teonochema,  the  Chariot  of  the  Gods." 

The  Cameroons  Mountains,  being  of  volcanic  origin, 
would  seem  to  corroborate  this  theory.  Extinct  craters 
are  to  be  seen  there  which  must  have  been  for  ages  in  a 
state  of  repose,  and  there  is  no  other  spot  on  the  West 
Coast  where  remains  of  volcanoes  can  be  seen. 

Hanno,  if  you  remember  well,  mentions  also  the  go- 
rilla in  the  same  book. 

At  a  distance  the  Cameroons  seems  to  rise  abruptly 
from  its  base  by  a  continuous  slope ;  but,  on  nearer  ap- 
proach, it  is  seen  to  consist  of  a  succession  of  hills  and 
valleys,  covered  with  alternating  forest  and  pasture  land. 
Perhaps  one  third  is  covered  with  dense  forest,  while  the 
summit  is  bare. 

After  a  few  hours  the  island  of  Fernando  Po,  whose 
peaks  rise  to  a  height  of  more  than  ten  thousand  feet, 
was  in  sight,  and  we  could  see,  at  the  same  time,  the  two 
highest  points  found  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  for 
Fernando  is  only  about  twenty  miles  from  the  main  land. 
It  is  situated  in  the  very  Bight  of  Biafra,  which  is  the 
extreme  end  of  the  Gulf  of  Guinea.  One  of  the  afilu 
ents  of  the  great  River  Niger  here  falls  into  the  sea. 

While  our  vessel  was  heading  for  Fernando  Po,  I  was 
seated  near  the  rudder,  looking  now  and  then  at  the  high 
land  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  when  suddenly  I  saw 
the  fins  of  a  large  shark  in  the  water.  By  their  size  it 
must  have  been  an  enormous  creature.  It  seemed  to  be 
hunting  after  fish,  as  it  swam  pretty  fast.     No  doubt  the 


WATCHINO  THE  SHAItK.  227 

shark  was  hung-rv,  I  threw  something  heavy  in  the  wa- 
ter, which  made  a  good  deal  of  splashing,  to  attract  its 
attention.  I  was  not  mistaken.  The  huge  fish  made  for 
the  vessel,  swam  round  it,  though  we  were  sailing  fast, 
and  then  came  back  to  the  stern,  and  followed  us  close- 
ly. Sometimes  it  almost  seemed  as  if  it  touched  the 
rudder.  What  a  huge  creature  it  was !  how  ugly,  how 
voracious  !  Its  little  eyes  seemed  to  see  every  tiling ;  but 
its  mouth  could  not  be  seen,  for  it  is  placed  in  such  a 
way  that  it  can  only  be  seen  when  the  shark  turns  over. 
I  wondered  how  many  rows  of  teeth  the  creature  could 
have,  and  a  cold  shudder  ran  over  me;  for  just  at  that 
time  I  liad  seated  myself  on  the  bulwarks  of  the  vessel, 
and  the  least  jerk  might  have  sent  me  over  into  the  sea, 
and,  as  the  shark  was  swimming  close  to  the  vessel,  there 
would  have  been  no  way  of  escape.  I  immediately  jump- 
ed down  on  deck  and  looked  at  the  creature.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  the  natives  often  call  it  the  "leopard  of  the 
sea,"  for  such  a  voracious  creature  seldom  can  be  met 
any  where.  You  may  perhaps  remember  that  in  "  Lost 
in  the  Jungle"  there  is  an  eagle  called  by  the  people 
"  the  leopard  of  the  air"  on  account  of  its  fierceness  and 
boldness.  The  water  has  its  representative  for  voracity, 
fierceness,  and  treachery  in  the  shark,  and  tlie  land  has 
the  leopard,  which,  as  the  natives  say,  can  «ot  be  trusted. 
As  I  was  looking  at  that  shark,  I  saw  eight  little  fish 
swimming  round  it,  on  which  the  shark  seemed  to  look 
complacently.  At  first  I  wondered  why  the  shark  did 
not  gobble  them  up  as  he  would  other  fish.  Now  these 
little  tiny  things  would  seem  to  rest  on  tlie  back  of  their 
huge  companion,  then  they  would  swim  under  its  belly 
and  round  him.     As  I  watched  these  little  creatureSj  I 


228 


MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 


was  filled  witli  wonder  because  they  swam  so  fast.  They 
seemed  to  he  his  best  friends,  and,  as  I  learned,  are  called 
the  shark's  pilots,  and  follow  him  every  where.  Only 
large  sharks  have  pilots.  Wherever  the  shark  goes  his 
"little  pilots"  follow  him.  I  believe  they  sometimes 
tell  him  of  danger,  for  the  great  enemy  of  the  shark  is 
the  "  sawfish."  At  any  rate,  they  never  leave  the  shark, 
and  it  may  be  that  they  help  to  keep  its  skin  clear  from 
insects  and  parasites.  I  went  to  my  stateroom,  and  took 
from  a  box  two  or  three  very  small  fish-hooks,  which  I 
tied  to  a  thread,  and  then  put  a  very  small  piece  of  fat 
pork  on  the  hook,  and  dropped  it  in  the  water,  but  the 
little  pilots  would  not  bite. 

At  times  I  fancied  the  old  big  shark  w^as  looking  at 
me,  hoping  all  the  time  that  I  would  come  down  into 
the  water,  when  he  would  liave  made  a  jolly  meal  of  me. 

At  last  I  gave  up  trying  to  catch  the  little  pilot-fish. 
It  is  not  often  that  I  give  up,  but  I  saw  that  in  this  case 
it  was  of  no  use,  for  it  did  not  even  come  and  smell  of 
my  bait.  Whatever  little  things  I  would  throw  over, 
such  as  crusts  of  bread,  little  pieces  of  chicken-meat, 
etc.,  they  would  not  trouble  themselves  in  the  least  about ; 
so  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  fed  themselves  on 
the  parasites  of  the  shark. 

Just  as  I  was  thinking  of  catching  the  big  shark,  the 
bell  for  dinner  rang,  and  I  went  down  into  the  cabin  in 
a  hurry,  for  I  was  very  hungry.  A  piece  of  salt  pork 
and  some  beans  was  all  we  had  for  our  dinner.  I  con- 
fess I  should  have  willingly  exchanged  the  salt  pork  for 
something  else,  for  m'c  had  had  so  much  of  it. 

After  dinner  I  went  immediately  on  deck  again,  and 
saw  that  the  shark  was  still  following  the  vessel.     The 


THE  ISUARK  IS  CAUGHT. 


229 


sailor  at  the  wheel  whispered  to  me,  in  a  very  low  tone, 
that  one  of  the  crew  was  sick,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt 
that  the  shark  was  waiting  for  liiui  to  die ;  "  for,"  added 
the  sailor,  "  those  horrid  creatures  smell  sickness  on 
board,  and  I  have  seen  them  follow  a  ship  day  after  day 
till  the  man  died  and  his  body  was  bm-ied  in  the  sea." 
xVlmost  every  sailor  believes  what  this  man  just  told  me, 
and  that  it  is  always  a  bad  sign  to  see  a  shark  follow 
after  a  sick  man.  I  said, "  Nonsense ;  I  do  not  believe  a 
word  about  it.  You  sailors  are  full  of  superstitions.  At 
any  rate,  I  am  going  to  try  to  hook  the  '  fellow,'  so  that 
it  shall  be  his  last  day  in  the  sea."  We  had  on  board  the 
vessel  two  large  fish-hooks,  which  I  had  got  specially  for 
shark  fishing.  These  big  hooks  were  held  by  a  chain 
about  eighteen  inches  long,  for  a  rope  would  have  stood 
a  poor  chance  against  several  rows  of  teeth. 

As  I  was  preparing  my  hook  and  was  ready  to  put  on 
it  a  piece  of  pork  which  weighed  about  one  pound,  the 
captain  came  and  helped  me.  We  attached  to  the  chain 
a  new,  strong  rope,  for  the  shark  was  a  big  one,  and  we 
secured  it  to  the  deck.  The  vessel  was  not  going  at  that 
time  more  tlian  three  miles  an  hour,  for  the  breeze  had 
become  light ;  but  we  were  going  fast  enough.  Tlie 
hook,  with  its  piece  of  pork  as  a  ])ait,  had  hardly  dropped 
into  tlie  water,  when  the  shark  came  at  it,  and  suddenly 
turned  over  on  its  back,  and  showed  a  tremendous  mouth, 
which  it  opened,  and  swallowed  pork,  fish-hook,  and  part 
of  the  chain.  We  gave  a  sudden  jerk  to  our  line,  and 
llie  hook  fastened  itself  tightly  inside  the  jaw  of  Master 
Shark. '  Then  came  a  great  struggle  to  haul  him  up,  es- 
pecially when  w^e  got  him  out  of  the  water  and  against 
the  ship's  side.     The  crew  had  to  be  called  to  assist  us 


230 


MY  APINOI  KINGDOM. 


before  we  succeeded  in  landing  Inni  on  tlic  deck.  It 
was  all  that  eiglit  men  could  do  to  pull  liini  up.  Now 
and  tlien  his  powerful  tail  would  strike  with  terrific  force 
against  the  sides  of  the  ship ;  the  water  was  lashed  into 
foam,  and  was  soon  discolored  with  blood  from  the 
wound  made  by  the  hook.  At  last  we  succeeded  in 
drawing  it  out  of  the  water,  and  the  little  pilot-fish  swam 
about  at  random,  not  Imowing  where  their  protector  and 
friend  had  disappeared.  Then  came  the  hardest  part  of 
the  work,  for  the  shark  made  a  tremendous  struggle, 
havino"  no  idea  of  beino-  hauled  on  deck.  Nevertheless, 
in  spite  of  its  desperate  efforts,  we  succeeded.  As  soon 
as  the  huge  creature  fell  on  the  deck  we  jumped  out  of 
its  reach,  for  a  single  blow  from  its  tail  would  have  bro- 
ken a  man's  lea-.     Now  and  then  the  sh.ark  would  remain 


OAPTUKE    OF  A   SHARK- 


THE  DEATH  OF  A  SHAMK.  231 

still  a  moineiitj  theu  a  quiver  would  follow,  and  the  body 
would  flop  and  twist  till  the  strength  of  the  monster  ap- 
peared to  be  exhausted. 

Finally  it  lay  quite  still.  Having  armed  myself  with 
a  big  axe  belonging  to  the  carpenter  of  the  ship,  I  cut 
off  the  shark's  tail  with  one  blow.  It  was  a  monstrous 
shark.  One  of  tlie  sailors  gave  him  a  fearful  blow  on 
the  head  which  almost  split  it  in  two.  Even  this  rough 
treatment  did  not  kill  him,  and  it  was  still  dangerous  to 
approach  within  his  reach.  At  length  a  powerful  blow 
with  an  axe  on  the  spine  cut  the  monster  in  two  and  fin- 
ished him,  though  the  fragments  of  the  body  quivered 
for  some  time  afterward. 

This  shark  belonged  to  the  most  voracious  species ;  it 
had  a  flat  head,  a  big  and  very  ugly-looking  mouth,  with 
several  rows  of  teeth  which  looked  like  those  of  a  wood- 
saw. 

We  had  hardly  killed  this  fellow  than  seven  others 
appeared  and  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  ship.  I  threw 
o\erboard  some  pieces  of  the  shark  we  had  killed, upon 
which  they  thi-ew  themselves  voraciously  and  gobbled 
them  up.  So  they  were  cannibals,  if  we  may  use  the 
expression,  and,  as  the  negroes  say,  they  eat  "  their  own 
people."  They  kept  following  the  ship  as  if  expecting 
that  something  more  would  be  thi-own  over  to  them. 

The  thought  came  to  my  mind  how  dreadful  it  would 
be  if  one  of  the  sailors  should  fall  into  the  sea.  It  would 
be  sure  death  to  him,  for  the  sharks  would  pounce  upon 
him  as  the  hungry  and  voracious  liyena  pounces  upon  a 
dead  carcass.  The  captain  seemed  to  have  the  same  feel- 
ing, and,  thougli  sucli  an  accident  hardly  ever  liappens, 
he  warned  the  men  to  look  out  sharp  and  be  careful. 

I  was  bound  to  kill  these  seven  sharks  If  T  could,  for 


232  MY  APINGI  KINGDOM.  ' 

if  I  succeeded  there  would  be,  I  thought,  seven  monsters 
less  in  the  sea — seven  creatures  that  would  never  again 
make  a  meal  of  a  man.  So  the  two  hooks  were  asain 
put  out  with  big  pieces  of  pork  upon  them.  They  hardly 
touched  the  water  when  two  sharks  were  caught,  and, 
after  a  great  struggle,  but  not  so  severe  as  that  with  the 
one  we  had  just  captured,  they  were  hauled  up  half  way, 
and  then  I  put  a  bullet  through  the  head  of  each,  cut 
their  tails  off,  and  tlien  let  their  bodies  drop  into  the 
water ;  the  five  that  remained  pounced  upon  them  with 
a  fury  and  a  voracity  which  astonished  me.  Of  course, 
the  sharks  could  not  swim,  their  tails  having  been  cut  off, 
though  they  seemed  to  try.  They  sank  gradually,  the 
five  sharks  sinking  with  them  into  the  depths  of  the 
ocean,  to  devour  them.  I  did  not  covmt  on  that.  It 
never  entered  my  head  tliat  these  would  follow  the  dis- 
abled and  half  dead  sharks  in  this  manner. 

Half  an  hour  after  another  immense  fellow  made  its 
appearance.  We  were  decidedly  in  a  great  region  of 
sharks.  This  fellow  was  a  blue-skinned  shark,  long,  and 
of  slender  proportions.  The  baited  hook  was  thrown 
over  to  him,  and  he  approached  it  slowly  and  with  great 
caution,  smelling  at  it  three  or  four  times,  and  as  often 
rejecting  it.  He  was  certainly  not  very  hungry ;  but  at 
last  he  swallowed  the  bait  and  was  caught.  We  had 
great  work  to  bring  him  on  deck.  This  monster  was 
fourteen  feet  long,  and  you  may  judge  my  astonishment 
when  I  found  that  his  stomach  w^as  filled  with  fish,  some 
of  which  were  still  alive,  and  the  captain  had  them 
broiled  for  his  dinner.  In  the  mean  time  we  were  get- 
ting nearer  to  the  island  of  Fernando  Po,  and  by  sunset 
we  were  safely  anchored  in  Clarence  Bay,  within  twenty 
or  thirty  yards  of  the  shore. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE    BOOBEES. CA^IF    BY    THE    SEA. ^VE    SPY    A    CANOE. 

—  FUGITIVES    FKfiM    SLAVERY. THE    STOKY    OF    THEIR 

CAPTIVITY. THEIR   FLIGHT. 

The  next  morning  when  I  went  on  deck,  the  beautiful 
island  rose  before  me  in  all  its  picturesque  charms.  Not 
a  cloud  hung  over  its  high  summit.  The  hills  were  cov- 
ered with  dense  forest  to  their  very  tops,  and  from  their 
gentle  declivities  numberless  little  rivulets  ran  sparkling 
down  to  the  sea.  The  island  is  very  beautiful  to  the  eye, 
but  veiy  unhealthy  for  a  residence. 

There  was  at  that  time  on  the  island  a  settlement  of 
negroes  captured  from  slavers,  called  Freetown,  where 
se\eral  missionaries  lived  who  had  undertaken  the  care 
of  the  benighted  people.  The  village  was  pretty  and 
quite  clean.  Fruit-trees  had  been  planted  about  the 
houses,  and  the  little  settlement  appeared  to  be  very 
thrifty.  The  island  seemed  to  be  under  English  rule, 
tliough  belonging  to  Spain.  A  good,  kind  Hollander, 
who  had  been  many  years  on  the  island,  was  the  virtual 
governor. 

Two  or  three  days  after  my  arrival,  as  I  was  rambling 
among  the  valleys  and  hills  of  the  island,  shooting  birds 
and  other  small  game  (for,  of  course,  there  were  no  ele- 
phants nor  leopards  to  be  found,  no  liippopotami,  etc., 
etc.,  there),  I  came  across  several  settlements  of  the  prim- 


234 


MT  APINOl  KIXGDOM. 


itive  inhabitants.  These  natives  are  called  Boobees,  and 
are,  no  doubt,  the  remnants  of  a  powerful  tribe  which 
once  inhabited  the  island.  Strange  to  say,  these  Boobees 
are  unlike  the  negroes  of  the  main  land,  being  far  more 
ugly  and  degraded.  They  were  accustomed  to  rub  their 
bodies  with  clay  and  palm-oil  mixed  together,  and  many 
had  a  curious  way  of  arranging  their  hair  in  plaits,  each 
of  which  was  stuck  together  with  the  same  disgusting 
mixture  in  the  shape  of  cigars.  Some  of  them  seemed  to 
have  hundreds  of  these  cigar-shaped  plaits  or  braids  on 
their  heads,  sticking  out  on  all  sides  like  the  quills  on  a 
porcupine. 

Our  camping-ground  was  situated  in  a  nice.little  nook 
on  the  shore  of  one  of  those  charming  miniature  bays 
which  are  found  now  and  then  along  the  coast  of  Fer- 
nando Po.  Close  beside  it  ran  a  beautiful  little  rivulet, 
the  waters  of  which  were  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  so  cool 
that  one  might  have  been  tempted  to  think  that  it  came 
from  some  snowy  peak.  This  little  stream,  indeed,  rose 
in  the  mountains,  and  had  meandered  on  its  way  to  the 
sea  through  the  dark  forests  of  the  island.  Before  us 
lav  the  sea.  On  the  beach  were  two  small  canoes  for 
fishing. 

One  morning  when  I  returned  from  a  hunt,  in  which 
I  had  succeeded  in  killing  several  squirrels,  which  were 
to  be  roasted  that  day  on  sticks,  before  a  bright  fire,  for 
my  dinner,  and  had  stretched  myself  out  on  the  sand  un- 
der the  protecting  shade  of  some  huge  cotton-trees,  I  was 
looking  at  the  water,  and  thinking  that  I  would  like, 
after  a  while,  to  go  a-fishing.  There  was  a  lazy  feeling  in 
the  atmosphere,  and  my  men  were  taking  their  afternoon 
nap  not  far  from  where  I  was  lying.     I  had  been  lying 


THE  CANOE  IS  GETTING  XEAREM.  235 

on  the  ground  for  about  an  liour,  I  suppose,  when  my 
attention  was  suddenly  drawn  to  a  bhick  spot  in  tlie 
offing.  What  could  it  be  ?  It  was  so  far  off  that  I  took 
my  spy-glass  to  examine  it,  and  then  discovered  it  was  a 
small  canoe,  with  a  sail  made  of  matting. 

The  little  black  spot  grew  bigger  and  bigger,  for  the 
wind  was  strong  and  from  the  sea.  By  the  way  the  ca- 
noe sailed,  I  could  see  that  the  people  wanted  to  make 
for  the  island.  I  wondered  where  the  canoe  could 
come  from,  and  my  curiosity  was  much  excited ;  so  I 
kept  watching  it  as  it  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  aft- 
er a  while  I  could  see  that  it  contained  five  people.  By 
the  time  it  came  within  half  a  mile  of  the  land,  and  was 
about  that  distance  to  the  leeward  of  where  our  camp 
was,  tlie  breeze  had  gradually  died  away,  and  there  was 
a  dead  calm.  The  canoe-men  then  took  to  their  pad- 
dles, but,  to  my  surprise,  paddled  very  slowly.  Examin- 
ing them  carefully  thi  ough  my  glass,  I  recogTiized  dis- 
tinctly that  tiiere  were  four  men  and  one  woman  in  the 
canoe.  They  appeared  to  be  emaciated,  and,  as  they 
paddled  very  feebly,  I  concluded  that  they  must  be  ei- 
ther sick  or  starving.  Nevertheless,  they  were  making 
headway.  Who  knows,  said  I  to  myself,  but  that  it  is  a 
canoe  belongino;  to  the  Boobees,  which  has  been  driven 
far  out  to  sea  by  one  of  the  fearful  tornadoes  which 
blow  with  such  terrific  force  at  this  time  of  the  year? 
I  awoke  my  men,  who  immediately  declared  it  was  a 
canoe  with  fu2:itive  slaves  from  Prince's  or  St.  Thomas 
Island. 

My  sympathies  were  at  once  fully  aroused,  and  I  said, 
"  Boys,  suppose  we  launch  one  of  our  canoes  and  go  to 
meet  tlicm  ?"     "  Xo,"  said  my  men  :  "  for  we  might 


236  ^^  APINQI  KINGDOM. 

frighten  them  away."  So  I  suggested  that  we  should 
skirt  the  beach  in  the  woods,  and  be  near  them  when 
they  landed.  Tliis  was  no  sooner  said  than  done,  with 
all  the  more  alacrity  because  the  negroes  forming  my 
own  camp  were  also  fugitives  from  slavery.  One  of 
them,  who  had  escaped  from  St.  Thomas  Island,  and  had 
lived  on  the  banks  of  the  Ogobai  Eiver,  had  been  sold 
into  slavery  by  his  people  because  suspected  of  being  a 
wizard.  lie  liad  been  three  years  in  the  English  settle- 
ment of  Fernando  Po,  and  could  speak  the  English  lan- 
guage tolerably  well,  besides  the  Portuguese.  His  name 
was  Fasiko. 

We  kept  skirting  the  beach,  taking  good  care  to  re- 
main in  the  woods,  in  order  not  to  raise  the  suspicions  of 
the  fugitives.  By  the  time  we  came  opposite  them  they 
were  not  more  than  one  hundred  yards  from  the  shore. 
Through  my  glass  I  could  see  how  careworn  they  were. 
They  seemed  to  be  very  suspicious  and  sliy  as  they  ap- 
proached the  land,  and  I  could  see  fear  and  anxiety  on 
their  faces.  I  was  not  surprised,  for  they  had  never  seen 
tlie  country,  and  knew  not  if  the  people  were  wicked  and 
ready  to  kill  them,  or  make  slaves  of  them  again.  Now 
and  then  tiiey  would  stop  their  paddles,  look  around  anx- 
iously, give  two  or  three  more  strokes,  then  stop  again, 
and  look  around.  At  last  they  landed,  and  appeared  to 
be  hardly  able  to  walk.  What  a  little  bit  of  a  canoe  it 
w^as  that  they  came  in !  I  wondered  that  they  had  not 
been  swamped. 

After  they  had  all  landed,  they  looked  carefully  in 
every  direction,  while  we  kept  ourselves  'hidden.  Sud- 
denly they  saw  human  footsteps  on  the  beach,  where  Boo- 
bees  had  been  walking,  and  a  kind  of  panic  seized  them. 


WF  £mXG  THEM  TO  THE  CAMP.  037 

Poor  people !  I  felt  sorry  for  them.  At  last  mj  men 
came  out  of  the  forest,  shouting  to  them  not  to  be  afraid ; 
but  the  shouts  were  of  no  avail.  They  took  to  their  heels 
and  ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could;  but,  in  their  weak- 
ened condition,  they  were  no  match  for  us.  "We  ran 
after  them,  and  in  a  short  time  they  were  all  captured. 
They  immediately  recognized  friend  Fasiko,  however, 
who  had  lived  on  a  neighboring  plantation  to  theirs,  and 
all  at  once  their  fears  were  allayed. 

We  took  them  back  to  the  camp,  and  gave  them  a 
good  meal  of  boiled  plantains.  Two  chickens  I  had 
brought  for  myself  were  cooked  for  them,  and  the  broth 
seemed  to  do  them  good.  They  w^ere  very  grateful  to 
us,  and,  after  they  had  eaten,  they  lay  down  to  seek  the 
rest  and  sleep  of  which  they  stood  so  sadly  in  need. 
They  were  negroes  from  the  interior  of  Africa,  as  we 
Imew  without  being  told  by  their  sharp -pointed  teeth 
and  tattooed  bodies. 

Darkness  had  come,  and  we  had  given  a  fresh  start  to 
our  fires,  which  were  bright  and  cheerful,  and  our  five 
runaway  captives  were  lying  by  them  with  anxious  looks, 
for  they  did  not  know  what  was  to  happen  to  them.  Per- 
haps they  thought  I  was  one  of  the  whites  who  bought 
slaves  by  the  sea-shore,  and  that  they  were  going  to  be 
re-enslaved. 

"  I  want  to  hear  your  story,"  said  I.  "  I  want  to  know 
how  you  dared  to  go  to  sea  in  such  a  small  canoe,  and 
why  you  wei-e  sold  into  slavery  by  your  own  peo]ile." 
The  eldest  of  the  five  rose  from  his  reclining  position, 
seated  himself  on  the  ground,  and  began  to  tell  his  story 
in  Portuguese,  which  Fasiko  translated  into  English. 

"All  of  us  you  see  liere,"  said  the  old  uuxn, "  beloi  g 


238  MY  AriNQI  KINGDOM. 

to  a  tribe  called  Isliogos,  living  far  away  from  that  big 
water"  (he  pointed  to  the  sea),  "  of  which  we  had  never 
heard  before  we  came  to  it,  as  none  of  those  who  go 
away  from  our  country  and  see  the  ocean  ever  come 
back  to  tell  the  tale  of  what  they  have  seen,  for  many 
tribes  are  between  the  ocean  and  our  land ;  and,  even  if 
we  escaped  from  the  people  of  the  coast,  we  should  be 
enslaved  by  other  tribes.  A  stranger  in  a  strange  land 
is  not  safe  in  the  country  of  the  black  man."  Here  the 
man  gave  a  sigh,  and  the  others  said, "  Yo,  yo,  yo,^^  which 
meant  "  That  is  so." 

"  White  man,"  he  continued,  "  seest  thou  that  woman? 
She  liN-ed  in  a  village  not  far  from  mine.  We  grew  up 
together.  I  saw  her  father  and  mother  killed  for  witch- 
craft,  and  she  saw  my  father  and  mother  sold  into  slav- 
ery for  the  same  cause ;  and,  if  we  had  dared  to  cry,  or 
say  that  our  parents  were  not  sorcerers,  we  should  have 
been  killed,  and  therefore  we  were  obliged  to  join  the 
crowd,  and  shout  with  the  rest  of  the  people, '  Death  to 
the  wizards !  Death  to  those  who  bring  disease  and  death 
among  us  !'  For,  white  man,  in  the  country  of  the  Islio- 
gos, we  all  believe  that  people  can  become  sorcerers ; 
and  if  the  people  suspect  that  there  are  sorcerers  in  the 
village,  we  are  afraid  of  each  other,  for  we  know  not  if 
our  next  neighbor  does  not  ^nsh  to  kill  us.  The  father 
mistrusts  his  son,  the  son  the  father,  the  mother  her  chil- 
dren, the  husband  his  wife,  and  the  wife  her  husband,  the 
imcle  his  nephew,  and  the  nephew  his  uncle.  Fear  seizes 
every  body,  and  there  is  no  peace  in  the  village  till  tlie 
sorcerers  are  found. 

"  So  the  people  mistrusted  us  as  belonging  to  a  family 
of  aniembas  (sorcerers),  and,  as  our  people  wanted  brass 


IIOW  TUET  LEFT  THEIR  COUNTRY.  230 

1-ings,  we  were  sold.  In  our  country  even  mothers  and 
fathers  sell  their  own  children,  and  our  own  family  sold 
us  into  slavery.  So  one  mornin";  we  left  our  villao-e 
with  a  people  called  Apingi,  They  tied  our  liands  be- 
hind our  backs,  and  led  us  through  the  forest  to  their 
own  country.  This  woman  and  I  kept  together.  Oh 
how  afraid  we  were  of  being  separated ;  for  wlicn  we 
^\•ere  young  we  loved  each  other,  and  I  wanted  her  to  be 
my  wife;  but  another  man  gave  her  fatlier  one  slave 
more  than  I  could  afford  to  give,  and  t^'o  goats,  and 
she  became  his  wife, 

"When  we  reached  the  Apingi  village  we  saw  three 
more  Ishogos,  and  knew  they  too  liad  been  sold  into  slav- 
ery. This  Apingi  village  was  on  the  bank  of  a  large 
river.  After  a  few  days  the  man  who  5wned  us  sold  us 
to  another  tribe  called  Aviia,  living  lower  down  on  the 
banks  of  the  river.  A  canoe  took  us  there.  Oil  how 
frightened  we  became  as  we  sailed  in  the  little  canoe ! 
Ilajipily  we  were  sold  together  again,  but  the  three  other 
Ishogos  did  not  go  with  us,  so  we  had  to  bid  them  good- 
by.  When  night  would  come  our  new  masters  would 
leave  people  to  watch  us,  and  would  put  us  in  nchogo  (a 
kind  of  stocks),  and  threatened  us  with  death  if  wc  tried 
to  escape. 

"The  Aviia  man  who  owned  us,  wanting  to  marry  a 
girl  of  another  village,  gave  us  to  her  father  in  order  to 
get  her,  for  he  had  bought  us  especially  for  this  object. 
The  Apingi  had  bought  us  for  four  large  copper  rings, 
and  this  man  had  bought  us  for  eight — sucli  as  women 
w^ear  round  their  ankles. 

"We  noticed,  as  we  came  down  the  river,  that  it  got 
wider  and  deeper  continually,  and  this  filled  our  hearts 


240  ^^Y  APING  I  KINGD  OM. 

with  fear.  We  were  resold  again,  and  traveled  in  the 
forest,  and  afterward  came  to  the  river  again.  In  this 
manner  we  were  sold  from  tribe  to  tribe  living  down  the 
river,  taking  larger  canoes  as  we  came  down,  till,  one 
morning,  when  we  came  out  into  the  sea,  the  canoe  began 
to  rock,  and  Mishonmbi  and  I  almost  died  with  fright. 

"We  then  sailed  along  the  coast  till  we  came  to  the 
land  of  the  Oroungous,  who  had  bought  us  in  the  Nga- 
lois  country.  The  next  morning  they  took  us  to  some 
people  looking  like  you.  They  were  white  men.  They 
looked  at  us,  they  touched  us,  they  felt  us  all  over,  and 
opened  our  mouths.  Then  the  Oroungous  sold  us  to 
them.  We  were  so  glad  that  Mishoumbi  and  I  were  sold 
together,  for  then  we  could  talk  together  of  Ishogo  land — 
of  our  people.  We  knew  that  our  country  lay  in  the  di- 
rection where  the  sun  rose,  and  that  we  had  come  to  the 
sea  where  the  sun  set.  So  every  morning  we  would  lo;jk 
toward  the  rising  sun. 

"A  few  days  after  we  were  resold  to  a  white  man,  who 
sent  ns,  before  daylight,  with  many  others,  on  board  of 
a  ship.  It  was  quite  dark.  During  the  night  we  were 
put  under  the  deck,  and  during  the  day  we  came  out. 
There  were  on  board  many  white  men  armed  with  guns 
and  pistols,  and  the  sight  of  them  frightened  us  very 
much.  All  the  men  were  kept  together,  and  the  women 
were  apart,  so  I  could  only  look  at  Mishoumbi,  for  we 
were  not  allowed  to  talk  to  any  one. 

"We  could  see  that  we  were  going  away  from  where 
the  sun  rises,  and  going  toward  where  it  sets — going 
away,  away,  far  away  from  the  good  Ishogo  country, 
where  we  were  born,  and  where  our  fathers  of  old  were 
born.     Fear  was  on  the  countenance  of  us  all,  for  we 


THET  LAND  IN  ST.  THOMAS.  241 

knew  not  what  was  to  become  of  us.  We  knew  not  if 
the  white  men  were  not  to  kill  and  eat  ns.  We  were 
afraid  of  the  water,  for  land  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"  After  two  days  and  two  nights  we  came  in  sight  of  an 
island.  The  land  was  as  high  as  that  of  onr  Ishoo-o 
mountains.  As  we  came  near  the  land,  canoes  came 
alongside  with  white  and  black  men  on  board,  and  took 
us  all  away,  and  landed  us  in  the  woods,  where  we  slept, 
the  people  keeping  guard  over  us.  By-and-by  some  oth- 
er white  men  came  and  bought  us  by  sixes,  eights,  or 
tens.  I  parted  with  Mishoumbi,  as  I  thought,  forever; 
but  no  one  dared  to  cry,  for  we  were  afraid  of  being 
killed  on  the  spot. 

"  I  was  led,  with  seven  others,  to  a  plantation,  and  there 
I  remained  till  I  ran  away,  and  it  is  there  that  I  learned 
to  speak  Portuguese." 

"  How  is  it,"  said  I, "  that  Mishoumbi  and  your  three 
Ishogos  friends  are  vnth.  you  to-day  ?" 

"  Wait,"  said  he,  "  and  I  will  tell  you.  The  island  we 
came  from  is  called  St.  Thomas.*  The  name  of  the 
master  to  whom  I  belonged  was  Silva  ;  he  was  kind,  and 
his  plantation  was  by  the  sea.  It  had  a  great  quantity 
of  coffee-trees.  All  his  slaves  were  fi*ee,  after  work,  to 
walk  to  and  fro.  After  being  accustomed  to  the  coun- 
try, I  began  to  visit  round,  and  one  day  whom  should  I 
meet  on  a  neighboring  plantation  but  Mishoumbi — yes, 
Mishoumbi.  She  told  me  that  our  three  Ishogos  were 
living  not  far  from  her  on  another  plantation,  and  from 
that  time  w^e  saw  each  other  very  often.  We  would 
sometimes  meet  after  our  work  was  done,  and  talk  of 

*  St.  Thomas  is  about  2r>0  miles  from  the  coast,  and  is  situated  directly 
nnder  the  equator,  almost  in  a  parallel  line  with  the  Oroungou  country. 

L 


242  ^'^  APINOI  EINOD  OIL 

Ishogo  land,  and  look  in  the  direction  where  the  sun 
rises,  knowing  that  the  land  we  left  was  there.  Often 
we  said  to  ourselves, '  Only  two  days  took  us  to  this  isl- 
and ;  how  pleasant  it  would  be  if  we  could  go  back,  and 
live  in  the  woods,  and  be  free.' 

"  Then  we  began  to  talk  all  the  time  about  running 
away,  and  very  soon  events  occurred  which  helped  us. 
My  master  wanted  to  teach  me  how  to  fish,  and,  after  I 
had  learned,  I  took  a  canoe  every  day  and  went  out  and 
fished.  Of  course  I  never  went  far  from  the  land.  Aft- 
er a  while  I  became  quite  an  expert  canoeman.  Dry 
seasons  and  rainy  seasons  passed  away  in  that  manner. 
One  day  I  was  ordered  to  make  a  big  canoe  from  a  tree 
that  was  in  the  forest,  and,  when  the  canoe  w^as  nearly 
finished,  the  idea  came  into  my  head  of  running  away, 
and  going  again  toward  where  the  sun  rises.  "When  I 
told  Mishoumbi  of  it,  she  said, '  Let  us  run  away.'  We 
swore  to  keep  our  plan  a  profound  secret,  and  every 
evening,  when  we  all  met,  we  would  say,  '  Let  us  run 
away,'  for  the  three  Ishogos  were  to  escape  with  us. 

"  The  canoe  was  finished,  and  I  was  to  take  it  to  the 
beach  in  front  of  my  master's  house  within  a  few  days. 
Li  the  mean  time  I  had  made  paddles  and  prepared  a 
sail  of  matting ;  and  we  collected  food  on  the  sly.  One 
dark  evening  we  all  met  in  the  woods,  and,  going  down 
to  the  beach,  launched  the  canoe,  got  into  it,  and  pad- 
dled away  from  the  island  in  the  direction  toward  where 
the  sun  rises.  The  next  morning  we  were  far  away,  the 
land  of  St.  Thomas  appearing  dimly  in  the  horizon.  The 
breeze  bore  us  rapidly  toward  where  the  sun  rises,  but 
still  we  were  afraid  the  people  would  chase  us. 

"  Two  days  passed  away,  and  no  land  came  in  sight. 


HOW  FRIGHTEXED  THEY  WERE!  £43 

Fear  began  to  seize  iis,  and  we  were  sorry  we  had  ran 
away.  Four  days  more  passed  away,  and  still  no  land  ; 
we  thought  we  should  never  see  it  again.  Happily  we 
had  plenty  of  food,  but  the  water  began  to  get  scarce. 
The  fifth  night  a  tornado  blew  and  threatened  to  swamp 
us,  but  we  collected  a  little  water  after  the  wind  went 
down.     The  tornado  was  followed  by  a  dead  calm. 

"  "While  we  were  in  all  this  trouble  we  spied  a  sail,  and 
at  first  we  thought  it  was  in  pursuit  of  us,  which  put  us 
in  great  terror.  Was  it  a  St.  Tliomas  vessel  ?  If  so,  it 
would  take  us  back,  and  our  master  would  be  hard  upon 
us.  But  the  vessel,  after  a  while,  changed  its  course  ;  its 
sails  grew  dimmer  and  dimmer,  and  became  lost  to  our 
sight.  We  continued  to  sail  toward  where  the  sun  rises, 
hoping  to  find  the  land  ;  but  for  a  long  time  no  land  was 
to  be  seen,  and  at  last  we  made  up  our  minds  that  it  was 
all  over  with  us.  But  at  last  we  saw  the  land !  It  did 
not  look  like  the  land  of  the  Oroungous,  and  we  were 
afraid,  as  we  knew  not  where  we  were.  But  we  had  no 
food,  no  water,  and  we  had  to  land  or  choose  to  die  in 
our  canoe." 

We  were  much  affected  by  the  man's  pathetic  story, 
and  told  our  new  friends  that  they  were  fi'ee  forever,  as 
on  this  island  there  were  no  slaves.  Here  they  would 
meet  with  some  who,  like  themselves,  had  fled  from 
where  they  came,  though  many  more  had  perished  in 
their  attempt,  while  others  have  landed  on  tlie  main  land, 
and  then  were  re-enslaved  by  the  natives.  We  told  them 
to  go  to  sleep  without  fear.  The  next  day  they  went  to 
the  old  governor,  who  made  them  welcome  to  the  little 
settlement  of  Freetown. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

DEPAKTUEE  FROM  FERNANDO  PO. — THE  GULL. HER  CREW. 

A  TORNADO. — STARVATION. — CAPE  ST.  JOHN. — COEISCO. 

— GOOD-BY. 

After  a  short  visit  to  Fernando  Po,  I  thought  of  going 
southward  toward  the  equator  to  meet  the  Roland^  but 
there  was  no  vessel  going  there.  Nothing  was  left  for 
me  to  do  but  to  buy  a  large  boat,  a  kind  of  fishing-smack, 
which  the  governor  of  the  island  wished  to  sell.  This 
boat  was  about  ten  tons  burden.  My  great  objection  to 
it  was  that  it  had  no  deck ;  but,  as  there  was  no  choice,  I 
had  to  take  it. 

After  buying  the  boat,  the  next  thing  was  to  get  a 
crew.  I  went  to  friend  Fasiko,  and  asked  him  to  engage 
me  a  crew  of  four  men,  and  sail  down  the  coast  with  me. 
I  immediately  gave  the  name  of  Gull  to  our  craft. 
The  next  morning  Fasiko  came  with  four  strong,  strap- 
ping fellows,  all  runaway  slaves  from  the  island  of  St. 
Thomas,  They  had  before  gone  as  sailors  on  board  of 
vessels  whose  crews  had  been  disabled  by  sickness.  They 
said  they  were  thoroughly  good  seamen — could  splice  a 
rope,  go  up  the  mast,  knew  how  to  cast  an  anchor,  and 
steer  a  ship.  They  had  kept  their  Portuguese  names — 
Pedro,  Antonio,  Francisco,  and  Joannes.  I  named  Fasiko 
captain,  Pedro  mate,  Antonio  and  Joannes  sailors,  and 
Francisco  cook,  steward,  and  sailor  into  the  bargain,  if  it 
became  necessary.     The  boat  was  to  be  theirs  when  I 


% 


OUTFIT  OF  THF  GULL.  247 

had  done  with  it,  and  they  would  return  to  Fernando  Po 
in  it.  I  engaged  them  at  the  rate  of  ten  dollars  a  month, 
with  the  promise  of  extra  pay  if  they  worked  well.  Dis- 
cipline must  be  observed,  and  the  night  watches  must  be 
strictly  kept. 

I  was  afraid  that  the  saihng  qualities  of  the  Gull  were 
not  very  good,  fur  her  bow  was  not  sharp,  and  she  was 
too  broad  and  too  short.  The  lii-st  thing  to  be  done  was 
to  put  her  in  thorough  trim  for  her  voyage,  and  get  pro- 
visions on  board.  So  I  bought  from  the  natives  sweet 
potatoes,  yams,  and  a  dozen  fowls.  I  tried  to  get  some 
sea-bread, but  none  could  be  obtained;  but  the  good  gov- 
ernor promised  me  some  loaves  of  bread.  I  bought  a 
brass  kettle,  an  iron  pot,  some  butter,  two  big  pieces  of 
salt  pork,  and  two  pieces  of  salt  beef  for  my  men,  and  a 
dozen  boxes  of  sardines  for  myself.  We  also  put  on 
board  a  large  quantity  of  fire-wood.  Then  I  managed  to 
get  an  old  cask,  which  I  sawed  in  two,  and  filled  one  half 
with  sand.  This  one  was  to  be  our  kitchen,  and  our  fire 
was  to  be  lio^hted  on  the  sand.  The  other  half  was  to  be 
used  as  a  kind  of  roof  to  the  galley  or  kitchen,  to  pro- 
tect the  fire  from  the  heavy  rain  and  fi'om  the  wind. 
This  fire  was  to  be  kept  up  all  through  the  voyage.  My 
men  being  great  smokers,  I  bought  a  good  quantity  of 
tobacco  for  them.  I  bought  thick  sailors'  flannel  shirts 
for  each  man.  For  myself,  I  had  a  thick  water-proof 
cloak  and  several  blankets.  The  uncomfortable  point 
about  the  Gull  was  that  there  was  no  special  place  to 
sleep  in. 

As  it  would  not  have  done  to  sail  unarmed,  I  bought 
five  trade-guns  for  my  men,  and,  with  my  own,  we  had 
a  formidable  armament.     I  got  papers  from  the  govern- 


248  ^^  APING  I  KINOD  OM. 

or  for  fear  of  being  taken  for  a  slave-dealer  trading  be- 
tween the  Coast  and  the  island  of  St.  Thomas, 

Every  thing  being  ready,  we  sailed.  The  morning  was 
hot  and  sultry,  and  the  very  light  breeze  coming  from 
the  mountains  of  Fernando  Po  was  hardly  strong  enough 
to  move  the  boat.  We  sailed  slowly  past4ike  island.  The 
land-breeze  gradually  died  away,  and  tliCTi  the  heat  be- 
came intense.  We  had  no  awning,  and  I  had  not  even 
an  umbrella.  There  was,  in  fact,  nothing  to  shelter  me 
from  the  powerful  rays  of  the  sun,  which  seemed  to  pour 
down  upon  us  with  greater  force  than  usual.  When  the 
land-breeze  died  away  there  was  no  sea-breeze  coming  to 
our  help,  and  there  we  lay,  a  few  miles  from  shore  and 
from  our  point  of  departure,  drifting  slowly  seaward. 
I  had  not  bargained  for  this.  The  day  passed  away,  and 
the  sun  began  to  sink  beneath  the  horizon.  Darkness 
followed,  and  with  it  came  a  certain  relief  from  the  ter- 
rible heat.  During  the  day  I  kept  three  wet  pocket- 
handkerchiefs  in  my  hat  to  prevent  me  from  being  sun- 
struck. 

Then  came  the  rub.  We  must  see  what  could  be  done 
to  fix  a  place  for  sleeping.  All  that  the  sailors  could  do 
was  to  sleep  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat  the  best  way  they 
could.  As  for  myself,  I  would  sleep  on  the  seat  near 
the  rudder.  Before  going  to  sleep  I  arranged  for  two 
watches.  Fasiko,  Pedro,  and  Antonio  were  to  be  in  one  ; 
Francisco  and  Joannes  were  to  belong,  with  myself,  to 
the  other.  Happily,  my  Portuguese  friends  had  learned 
English  at  Fernando  Po,  and  could  understand  my  direc- 
tions pretty  well.  I  said  to  them,  "  Boys,  we  are  going 
to  be  good  friends,  but  remember  that  there  must  be  no 
sleeping  when  people  keep  M^atch,  and"  (pointing  to  a 


STRICT  KEEPLS'G  OF  WATCHES.  249 

stick)  "  look  out  for  the  one  who  goes  to  sleep !  for  you 
know,  boys,  that  this  is  the  season  of  tornadoes,  and  that 
they  sweef>  with  terrible  force  across  the  sea,  and  should 
we  be  caught' sleeping  by  the  M'ind  we  should  all  be  lost. 
I  won't  sleep  when  my  turn  for  the  watch  coraes,"  I  add- 
ed, in  fi  lauglijfe  tone.  "  You  may  use  the  stick  also  on 
me  if  yoji  catro  me  sleeping."  Each  watch  was  to  last 
four  hours — from  eight  to  twelve  P.M.,  from  twelve  to 
four,  and  from  four  to  eight  o'clock  A.M.  Dm-ing  the 
day,  those  who  felt  like  sleeping  could  do  so.  Those 
whose  watch  lasted  from  eight  P.M.  to  midnight  were  to 
sleep  from  six  o'clock  to  eight. 

During  the  whole  of  the  night  there  was  not  a  breatli 
of  wind.  The  sky  was  clear,  and  the  stai's  shone  beauti- 
fully. Toward  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  light  land- 
breeze  began  to  be  felt,  and  we  commenced  to  make 
headway.  The  first  twenty-four  hours  we  had  made 
very  little  progress  from  our  starting-point,  but  I  liad 
great  hopes  that  we  should  fare  better  the  second  day. 
But  the  second  day  was  not  a  bit  more  favorable  than 
the  first,  for  we  had  neither  land  nor  sea  breeze.  The 
way  to  navigate  on  this  part  of  the  coast  is  to  take  ad- 
vantage in  the  morning  of  the  land-breeze,  and  tack  sea- 
ward, and  in  the  afternoon,  with  the  sea-breeze,  to  change 
the  tack  and  make  for  the  shore.  Tlie  land-breeze  would 
take  us  away  from  the  coast  almost  in  a  straight  line, 
while  with  the  sea-tack  we  would  approach  the  coast  in 
a  southeast  direction ;  but  thus  far  we  had  had  a  good 
deal  more  land  than  sea  breeze,  and  were  not  successful 
in  approaching  the  island.  Tiie  farther  we  were  from 
land  the  stronger  became  tlie  current,  which  seemed  to 
run  somewhat  from  the  soutlieast. 

L2 


250  MT  APING  I  KINGDOM. 

We  were  getting  in  a  bad  way.  Four  days  had  elapsed 
since  we  sailed  from  Fernando  Po,  and  we  were  still  in 
sight  of  the  island,  though  far  from  it.  It  is  true,  I  had 
ten  days'  provisions  on  board  ;  but,  if  things  went  at  this 
rate,  we  ran  the  risk  of  being  twenty  days  on  our  voy- 
age. I  began  to  feel  really  anxious,  though  I  did  not 
want  to  show  my  feelings  to  the  crew.  I  was  tliinking 
seriously  of  shortening  our  food  allowance.  Happily,  we 
had  two  casks  of  water  on  board,  and  had  plenty  of  it 
yet.  The  days  were  so  hot  that  I  did  not  know  really 
what  to  do  with  myself,  and  I  suffered  very  much  from 
the  glare  of  the  sun.  Toward  nine  o'clock  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  fourth  day  out,  the  sky  toward  the  laud  be- 
came dark  and  threatening,  and  it  looked  very  much  as 
if  a  storm  w^as  coming.  After  a  while  lurid  flashes  of 
lightning  were  seen.  The  distant  mutterings  of  thunder 
could  be  heard,  and  these  were  getting  neai'er  and  near- 
er. I  kept  a  sharp  lookout  on  the  horizon,  and  made 
every  thing  ready,  so  that  the  sails  might  be  hauled  down 
at  the  first  glimpse  of  a  tornado. 

At  length  the  thunder  began  to  peal  with  tremendous 
force,  and  the  rain  to  pour  down  in  torrents.  The 
claps  of  thunder  were  terrific.  The  storm  lasted  about 
four  hours,  and  after  it  came  a  dead  calm.  Of  course 
we  were  drenched  to  the  very  bone.  The  only  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  leave  our  clothes  to  dry  upon  us.  The 
next  morning,  the  fifth  day  after  our  departure,  the  sun, 
as  usual,  rose  brightly,  but  there  was  hardly  a  breath  of 
wind.  As  the  storm  had  come  directly  from  the  land, 
it  had  blown  us  away  from  the  coast,  and,  looking  in  the 
direction  of  the  land,  I  saw  that  the  bold  outlines  of  the 
Peak  of  Fernando  were  lost  to  our  sight. 


WE  DESFAIH  OF  BE  A  VHISG  LAXD. 


251 


The  situation  would  certainly  become  critical  if  it 
lasted  much  longer.  There  we  were,  out  of  sight  of 
laud,  with  no  breeze,  and  seemingly  in  one  of  those  long 
spells  of  calm,  when  there  was  nothing  to  counteract  the 
force  of  the  strons;  contrary  currents. 

"  Boys,"  I  said  to  my  crew,  "  we  have  plenty  of  pro- 
visions yet ;  but,  as  you  see,  we  have  been  unfortunate 
with  the  breeze.  Suppose  we  do  not  eat  so  much  now 
as  we  did  before,  so  that  for  sure  we  mav  not  get  out  of 
food."  "  We  will  do  just  as  you  say,"  they  replied,  cheer- 
fully ;  "  we  will  only  eat  half  of  what  we  ought  till  we 
see  a  fair  prospect  of  reaching  the  land."  "  That  is 
right,  boys,"  said  I.  So  we  began  our  short  allowance 
of  food  from  that  day. 

Quite  a  change  in  the  weather  soon  took  place,  but,  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  not  for  the  better.  Night  after  night 
the  storm  would  burst  upon  us  with  terrible  thunder, 
lightning,  and  rain.  In  one  respect,  however,  these 
storms  were  of  benefit  to  us,  as  they  enabled  us  to  col- 
lect water  in  our  sails,  and  to  fill  our  casks.  The  days 
were  still  intensely  hot. 

I  took  advantage  of  every  little  breeze  we  had,  but  the 
current  was  so  tremendous  that  the  Gull  seemed  to  lose 
all  the  benefit  of  the  wind,  I  was  steerino:  southeast, 
that  is,  making  for  the  Coast ;  and  now  fourteen  days 
had  passed  away,  and  there  was  no  land  in  sight,  though 
the  last  two  days  we  had  had  a  steady,  good  breeze. 

It  occurred  to  rae  at  length  that  the  compass  by  which 
I  steered  might  be  out  of  order,  though  I  did  not  see  how 
this  could  be,  as  there  was  no  iron  round  it,  my  guns  be- 
ing all  forward.  The  following  day,  when  the  sun  rose, 
I  took  bearings  with  the  compass,  and,  making  due  al- 


252  MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 

lowance  for  the  deviation  according  to  the  longitude,  1 
saw  that  the  instrument  was  correct.  Either  the  strong 
currents  had  put  us  out  of  the  way,  or  some  of  the  sailors 
must  have  steered  badly.  So  I  steered  the  Gull  directly 
for  the  land.  I  was  getting  weak,  as  for  the  last  ten 
days  we  had  eaten  very  little  food,  just  enough  to  keep 
us  from  starvation.  I  did  not  like  the  looks  of  an  enor- 
mous shark  that  had  been  following  us  for  three  days. 
At  night  I  could  see  its  wake  by  the  phosphorescent  light 
it  left  behind  it  as  it  swam.  He  would  come  and  al- 
most touch  the  rudder.  I  shuddered  at  the  thought  of 
falling  into  the  water,  or  of  being  upset  by  a  tornado. 

We  all  gradually  became  very  weak.  Were  we  to  die 
of  hunger  at  sea  ?  It  looked  very  much  as  if  we  were, 
as  there  was  no  more  food  left  on  board ;  happily  we 
still  had  water  to  sustain  us. 

Seventeen  days  had  passed  since  we  left  Fernando  Po. 
That  night  the  sky  was  clear,  and  the  stars  shone  beau- 
tifully. The  men  were  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
prostrated  by  heat  and  want  of  food.  I  was  steering,  for 
I  did  not  dare  to  give  the  care  of  the  rudder  to  any  one. 
I  wanted  to  make  sure  that  the  Gull  was  going  right  ac- 
cording to  the  compass.  I  had  no  strength  left,  as  for 
two  days  I  had  taken  no  food  except  four  little  sardines, 
and  niy  weak  arm  had  all  it  could  do  to  guide  our  boat. 
The  wind  was  fair,  and  I  was  making  right  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  land.  Shall  we  see  it  or  not  ?  As  I  looked 
toward  the  stars,  I  raised  a  silent  prayer  to  God.  The 
moon  rose,  and  by  its  dim  light  I  looked  with  sorrow  on 
the  care-worn,  emaciated  faces  of  my  five  faithful  men, 
who  had  not  even  uttered  a  word  of  grumbling  since  we 
left.     The  night  passed  away,  and  the  next  morning,  just 


WE  SEE  THE  LAXD.  253 

as  the  sun  was  rising,  I  liappened  to  look  eastward. 
What  do  I  see  ?  ''  Land  !  land  !  boys,"  I  shouted ;  ''  there 
is  the  land ;  look  at  it !"  They  all  sprang  to  their  feet 
to  gaze  at  tlie  blessed  sight.  It  was  Cape  St.  John.  Joy 
succeeded  sorrow.  God  had  been  with  us,  and  had  looked 
do'vvn  upon  the  little  Gull  and  its  crew. 

Toward  noon  we  landed,  so  weakened  by  exposure  and 
want  of  food  that  we  could  hardly  walk.  I  tottered  like 
a  drunken  man,  I  was  so  "weak.  The  natiyes  knew  me, 
for,  if  you  remember,  we  had  been  before  at  Cape  St. 
John.  The  king  of  the  village  welcomed  me  and  my 
men  in  a  very  friendly  manner.  Food  was  given  us,  and 
some  chickens  were  presented  to  me  by  the  kind  Afri- 
can women.  I  forbade  the  men  to  eat  much  for  a  while, 
and  that  afternoon  we  had  chicken  broth.  In  the  even- 
ing, also,  we  ate  very  little,  for,  if  we  had  eaten  hearti- 
ly, no  doubt  it  would  have  done  us  harm  if  it  liad  not 
killed  us. 

That  night  I  rested  badly,  for  I  was  sore  all  over.  The 
reaction  had  taken  place,  and  all  my  strength  seemed  to 
have  gone  away  with  my  anxiety.  The  next  morning 
I  was  sick  with  fever,  while  a  violent  headache  made 
me  suffeT  terribly.  The  second  day  I  felt  better,  and 
three  days  after  my  arrival  at  Cape  St.  John  I  sailed  for 
the  island  of  Corisco,  thence  down  the  Coast  to  ifleet  the 
Roland. 

This  voyage  from  Fernando  to  Corisco  had  been  fear- 
ful, and  it  required  a  long  time  for  me  to  get  over  it. 

In  my  preceding  volumes  you  have  been  made  ac- 
rpiainted  with  Corisco  "  the  beautiful,"  aTid  tlie  countries 
of  the  main  land ;  so  I  will  leave  you  here,  and  pronn'se 
to  take  you  with  me  in  my  next  volume  into  the  country 


254 


MY  APING  I  KINGDOM. 


of  the  Dwarfs,  which  is  situated  far  away  in  the  interior 
mountains  of  Africa.  These  singular  people  are,  no 
doubt,  descendants  of  the  same  race  described  by  the 
great  historian  Herodotus.  They  inhabit  a  country  where, 
perhaps,  some  day,  my  dear  Young  Folks,  one  or  two  of 
you  may  follow  me,  and  bring  home  news  of  what  you 
have  seen  that  will  make  the  ears  of  your  auditors  tingle 
with  wonder. 


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Cloth,  $3  50. 

TRISTRAM'S  THE  LAND  OF  MOAB.  The  Result  of  Travels  and  Discov- 
eries on  the  East  Side  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Jordan.  By  H.  B.  Tris- 
tram, M,A.,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  Master  of  the  Greatham  Hosjjital,  and  Hon. 
Canon  of  Durham.  With  a  Chapter  on  the  Persian  Palace  of  Mashita, 
by  Jas.  Ferguson,  F.R.S.  With  Stp  and  IlluBtrations.  Crown  Svo, 
Cloth,  $2  50. 

SANTO  DOMINGO,  Past  and  Present ;  with  a  Glance  at  Hayti.  By  Samukl 
Hazard.    Maps  and  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  60. 


3  1205  00435 


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n'^,MPf,'J,t^f(^'^,!?f^''P^*L  LIBRARY  FACIL 


ITY 


AA    000  586  283    4 


14-0 

Chailler,  Paul  du 

-¥v   Apinci  Kingdom 


Charlie  R.  Carson  Memorial  Library, 

Trinity  Parish,  Iowa  City,  Iowa. 


LIBRARY  RULES. 

A  book  may  be  cirawn  for  two 
weeks  and  renewed  once. 

A  fine  of  one  cent  per  day  shall  be 
paid  for  each  book  kept  over  time. 

Any  member  of  the  Sunday  School , 
Choir  or  Parish  may  draw  books  from 
the  library. 

Books  may  be  drawn  before  or  after 
Sunday  School, 


